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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waddle
An alligator waddling on the emergency shoulder of the Florida Turnpike on Friday morning backed up traffic during rush hour as authorities worked to rescue it.
—
Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025
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
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
Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025
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
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
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The members would have to live within a set geographic area in and around Independence and would serve staggered three-year terms, so only a few seats would ever turn over at the same time.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
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Cheng likes to build muni bond ladders, which means staggering the maturity dates of multiple bonds.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Back then, Newcastle’s thin squad staggered between results, lurching from challenging the best sides in the league to befuddling losses to inferior squads.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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But as the shutdown lurches through its fifth week, and legislators direct blame at each other, food pantries across the Kansas City area are left to grapple with the fallout.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Both directors have observed stan-worthy deep dives on social media, especially in TikTok videos, where fans are combing through moments of foreshadowing or character details that the filmmakers weaved into the story with love.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
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Construction of the gown weaved intricate embroidery with crystal embellishments, articulating sensuality and a regal presence.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is a universe in which towers totter above precipices, cellars drip hollowly and women wear impossible dresses in the snow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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Smith steadied a Dodgers team constantly shuffling the top of its lineup and searching for the right matchups from its bullpen.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The two are lost in time in the halls of the White Octopus Hotel, shuffling through 1935 and 2015 London in hopes of a second chance.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddle. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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