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
Minions & Monsters will waddle into theaters on July 1.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
One solitary penguin rejects the breeding and feeding grounds of his fellow birds, and waddles toward icy mountains in the distance, undoubtedly to its death.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Grande then waddles out in the over-the-top ensemble, only to be met by Grombol, who breaks the bad news that the Christmas tree is no longer available to view.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2025
Eventually, the group waddles the alligator over to a waiting pickup truck and manages to lift the reptile even higher to push it into the bed of the truck.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waddle
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
One solitary penguin rejects the breeding and feeding grounds of his fellow birds, and waddles toward icy mountains in the distance, undoubtedly to its death.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Grande then waddles out in the over-the-top ensemble, only to be met by Grombol, who breaks the bad news that the Christmas tree is no longer available to view.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2025
Eventually, the group waddles the alligator over to a waiting pickup truck and manages to lift the reptile even higher to push it into the bed of the truck.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddle
Verb
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Together the strangers slung Haridasse's arms over their shoulders and staggered to the finish line as a trio.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
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The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, addressed concerns about giving one party too much power by staggering the new authorizations out over a 0-year period.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But where limestone is crumbly and opaque, nacre’s toughness and light-bending properties come from silklike proteins that weave among the layers, holding them in place while providing enough elasticity to absorb the shock of a fracture.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
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Never tested in orbit, NASA’s robot could, in theory, perform tasks like weaving solar power stations and antennae in space from spools of carbon fiber.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Models are tottering on the cobblestoned Bond Street with their heels getting stuck in the rivets.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
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Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With Estévez out, the Royals had to shuffle the bullpen.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
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Of course, no rotation shuffling is imminent with Rodón expected to make at least three rehab starts and Cole moving at a slower pace following Tommy John surgery.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddle. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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