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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of waddle
Television Academy viewers didn’t treat The Penguin like some waddling bafoonish, cartoon villain, rather as a high-end prestige series.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 July 2025
Then a mascot dressed as a packet of olives waddled past, breaking the spell.
—Arietta Hallock, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 July 2025
Later, Happy's hopes of winning the prestigious Tour Championship are nearly crushed — or crunched — when Morris waddles up from a water feature and clamps down on Happy's golf ball.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 15 May 2025
The growing eaglets were seen waddling March 24 in Big Bear Valley, the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s executive director Sandy Steers said in a Facebook post.
—Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waddle
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 July 2025
Then a mascot dressed as a packet of olives waddled past, breaking the spell.
—Arietta Hallock, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 July 2025
Later, Happy's hopes of winning the prestigious Tour Championship are nearly crushed — or crunched — when Morris waddles up from a water feature and clamps down on Happy's golf ball.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 15 May 2025
The growing eaglets were seen waddling March 24 in Big Bear Valley, the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s executive director Sandy Steers said in a Facebook post.
—Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddle
Verb
-
Baseball’s stubbornness and insistence on staggering all of its postseason games left a terrific pitcher’s duel between two of the game’s young stars to start shortly after lunch on the East Coast and just a bit after breakfast on the West Coast.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Additional departure dates are staggered throughout July and August.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hollywood lurched into a fresh wave of existential panic this week after Deadline, notating an otherwise dry industry panel on Saturday, September 27, seized on a stray remark.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
-
On Halloween of 2022, just weeks into the new school year, senior Ehni Ler Htoo was making his way through the halls of Proctor High School in Utica, New York, when a fellow student lurched at him from behind, repeatedly plunging a 9-inch hunting knife into his back.—
Tonya Simpson,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bold and deeply human, Punch is initially a bit slow on the wind up, but its stellar cast help weave together an almost unbelievable story of compassion and empathy in its second act that left many theatergoers sniffling in their seats.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The Chamber praised the chefs’ creativity in weaving authentic Italian dishes with seasonal California flavors.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa. My father has always been an avid learner and reader.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
Christian Science Monitor,
12 June 2025
-
As Joe Biden tottered and fell (literally as well as metaphorically), more than a few pundits compared him to Lear, a man who was ruined by age, pride, and the flattery of sycophants.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
Cooper, an alum of Ralph Lauren and the former creative director of Ash NYC, plans to rotate the displays weekly, mixing in vintage furniture from his studio’s collection and shuffling the assortment so regulars will always find something new.—
Sydney Gore,
Architectural Digest,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Typically, at this time, nearly 20 minutes after a game, players are shuffling in and out.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddle. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share