waddles

verb

present tense third-person singular of waddle
as in staggers
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

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 waddles With a sigh, the German lady picks up her bags and waddles away. — Esther Yi, New Yorker, 14 June 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 When Paddington first waddles on stage during the new West End musical based on the beloved bear, the audience at the Savoy Theatre can hardly contain their excitement. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 30 Nov. 2025 Ursula waddles back into the ocean, knowing full well that sometimes girl code is the harshest weapon of all. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddles
  1. staggers
  2. lurches
  3. shuffles
  4. weaves
Verb
  • Steely and deliberate songwriting that casually staggers down the line between rhythm and melody, laced with loose yet conscious jams.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
  • Like many Florida school districts, OCPS staggers start times to most efficiently use its school buses and drivers.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of staggers
Verb
  • The film unhurriedly lurches from one markedly similar fight scene to the next, with only Skeletor’s occasional injections of ripe innuendo to liven them up a bit.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 June 2026
  • By the end, Noonan’s film stops feeling like a first date and starts to resemble the makings of a crime scene as his mood lurches toward something dangerous.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 May 2026
Definition of lurches
Verb
  • On a cloudy-white Sunday morning in June, Joey Phelps shuffles into the familiar back pew of Yeakley Chapel, the small Methodist church that has been a part of his life for nearly 50 years.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2026
  • As though on cue, Wardrobe — my beloved, and giant, closet — shuffles over from the corner of my room, the mahogany wood groaning with the effort.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
Definition of shuffles
Verb
  • The rapper, who has the small role of a bard in Nolan’s cinematic retelling of the Greek epic poem, weaves together Homer’s prose with modern lyricism on the ghostly track that alludes to Odysseus’ long journey.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026
  • The hotel’s design concept weaves a story around the fictional historic Lamarck University, an homage to the French evolutionary theorist, which was supposedly founded in 1894, then abandoned in the 1940s, and ultimately restored by Marriott.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Definition of weaves

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Cite this Entry

“Waddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddles. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of waddles for Spanish Speakers

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