Synonyms of waddle

waddle

verb

ˈwä-dᵊl 

as in to stagger

to move forward while swaying from side to side

the duck waddled back into the water

we watched the penguins waddle over the ice together

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stagger
• lurch
• weave
• totter
• shuffle
• stomp
• roll
• stumble
• careen
• teeter
• reel
• rock
• sway
• dodder
• wobble
• clomp
• waver
• shamble
• lump
• stamp
• clump
• tramp
• flounder
• barge
• galumph
• seesaw
• pound
• swag
• blunder
• scuffle
• tromp
• scuff
• lumber

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of waddle

Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani waddled through the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 4-3 comeback victory against the Padres on Friday night, the bulging ice wraps around his left knee and right arm creating a penguin-like effect to his gait. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Yet one place that Merlin is allowed is inside Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidential palace, waddling onto stage on Monday morning for her daily briefing. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026

In less than two weeks, Merlín went from waddling through the streets of Mexico City during Mexico's opening victory to visiting the presidential palace. — ABC News, 24 June 2026

Once considered delightfully kitschy relics of suburban Americana, porch geese are waddling their way back into the spotlight. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 29 May 2026