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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waddle
Partway up the trail, three penguins waddled past, entirely unbothered by the humans who stepped aside for them, and then belly-slid into the freezing water.
—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026
The only telltale sign of what lies below the surface is a metal set of stairs, leading into the icy blue channel, and small groups of divers and snorkelers waddling across the gravel paths in full gear.
—Carinne Geil Botta, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
Luna, the family’s Labradoodle, waddled in and lapped water from the bowl.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
When not flapping their wings, the chicks waddle around the nest, finding shady spots and playing with sticks and their dad's tail, the nonprofit said.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for waddle
Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026
The only telltale sign of what lies below the surface is a metal set of stairs, leading into the icy blue channel, and small groups of divers and snorkelers waddling across the gravel paths in full gear.
—Carinne Geil Botta, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
Luna, the family’s Labradoodle, waddled in and lapped water from the bowl.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
When not flapping their wings, the chicks waddle around the nest, finding shady spots and playing with sticks and their dad's tail, the nonprofit said.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for waddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddle
Verb
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To stagger the terms, governors in those three branches were elected this year to one-, two- or three-year terms, with the process reverting to the standard one-governor-per-branch, three-year cycle in 2027.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
15 June 2026
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Offer flexible or part-time schedules or stagger the return to work.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Long road trips, cruises, airplane takeoffs, and landings—all make my stomach lurch.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
9 June 2026
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In a December 2024 crash, a bus lurched onto a sidewalk outside Curley K-8 School in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.—
Willoughby Mariano,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Pulisic was exceptional before being subbed out at the half, weaving past defenders and creating scoring chances.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC news,
13 June 2026
-
Together, the friends weave intricate webs of multi-player strategy just to avoid hurting someone else’s feelings.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Manager John Schneider is now forced to shuffle players like Andrés Gimenez and Ernie Clement at shortstop, often platooning Gimenez, and inserting lesser hitters at second base.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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After about 10 minutes of sitting frozen in place, the seven-year-old shuffled out of the room with his mother, sister and grandmother.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddle. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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