as in lurching
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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Recent Examples of waddling
Video footage from Levi’s Stadium shows people dressed as trees waddling onto the field and taking position before Bad Bunny's performance kicks off.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Like, waddling-around, can't-see-your-feet, fifteen-chins fat.
—Gretchen Hansen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
In an October 23 Instagram video posted by user @jenjinete, a tiny Shih Tzu puppy can be seen waddling onto the porch, tail wagging rapidly, as the mailman approaches to make the day's delivery.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
More serious collectors may prefer waddling to the local Cars & Coffee with an earlier VW, recalling a kinder, gentler, and far slower-paced time than our present age.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2025
But Seymour did not opt for the waddling bird in the hand.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Like, waddling-around, can't-see-your-feet, fifteen-chins fat.
—Gretchen Hansen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
In an October 23 Instagram video posted by user @jenjinete, a tiny Shih Tzu puppy can be seen waddling onto the porch, tail wagging rapidly, as the mailman approaches to make the day's delivery.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
More serious collectors may prefer waddling to the local Cars & Coffee with an earlier VW, recalling a kinder, gentler, and far slower-paced time than our present age.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2025
But Seymour did not opt for the waddling bird in the hand.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddling
Verb
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Sure enough, a big rock upended from beneath my toe and sent me lurching headlong to the water.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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To get through the season and the playoffs, staggering the minutes of Green and Horford is logical, even with Quintin Post picking up some center minutes.—
Jannelle Moore,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Bridgerton treats it as though every woman got multiples of their yearbook photo to hand around as headshots, and Benedict’s taking what would have been treasured personal heirlooms and just shuffling through them and tossing out anyone with the wrong hair color.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s a common arachnid called the orb-weaving spider native to Illinois and other Midwestern states that has the falcon beat.—
Sheryl DeVore,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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After securing her drink, the Euphoria star, sporting her signature bob and an emerald green cardigan, could be seen weaving through the crowd, eventually settling at a table with fashion editor Ella O'Keeffe and friends.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 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
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Davis has since admitted the uncharacteristic miss — the ball hit the front rim, back rim and side rim again before rolling off — negatively impacted him for weeks.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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But producers kept the cameras rolling throughout Shandi’s distress, capturing her sobbing frame and even filming a tearful phone call with her boyfriend back home.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Han will be posted up by the Milennium Falcon and/or Oga’s Cantina, Luke will be stomping his Chanel boots in the marketplace, and Darth Vader will be force-choking dads in Grumpy tees.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
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Then there’s the people watching, from the tailgating to the communal divot stomping, full of dramatic sun dresses and hats with flourishes, seersucker suits and, yes, hats with flourishes.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddling. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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