Thesaurus results for WADDLING

waddling

verb

present participle of waddle

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

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 waddling Inside the house, a plastic bin in the TV room held a striped emu chick, waddling under a heat lamp. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Yet one place that Merlin is allowed is inside Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidential palace, waddling onto stage on Monday morning for her daily briefing. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026 In less than two weeks, Merlín went from waddling through the streets of Mexico City during Mexico's opening victory to visiting the presidential palace. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 Once considered delightfully kitschy relics of suburban Americana, porch geese are waddling their way back into the spotlight. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 29 May 2026 Once all of the ducklings were tucked into the basket, the animals were carried to a nearby canal, with their mother waddling behind them. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026 The only telltale sign of what lies below the surface is a metal set of stairs, leading into the icy blue channel, and small groups of divers and snorkelers waddling across the gravel paths in full gear. — Carinne Geil Botta, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026 The Quiet Tragedy of the Bottle-Fed Fawn Imprinting is one of those words people toss around casually, usually attached to baby ducks waddling after a researcher. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026 Think penguins waddling back to the same partner each breeding season. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddling

Verb

The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.

— Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
The old guard of the Democratic Party suffered another body blow when three socialist congressional candidates in New York with anti-Israel platforms swept to victory, lurching the party even further to the left.

— Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 June 2026

Definition of lurching

Verb

The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hand and small heads.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 May 2026

Definition of staggering

Verb

Burke piles fascinating shuffling sounds on top, invoking a quiet scuffle, maybe some cardboard boxes being knocked over in a storage space.

— Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
The Chicago Cubs have been shuffling the lower levels of their organization ahead of the trade deadline, looking to recapture some strong momentum from the beginning of the season to help drive a playoff push in the second half.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of shuffling

Verb

At the time of the crash, Pace’s vehicle was allegedly weaving in and out of lanes at speeds above 90 miles per hour.

— Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026
Beyond weaving the pivotal Osage leader Governor Joe into the script, the production team constructed an entire Osage village, alongside the specific lodge where the meeting took place.

— Max Gao, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

Definition of weaving

Verb

In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Definition of tottering

Verb

There was so much color, all these beautiful headdresses, and the male dancers were stomping their legs to mimic the drums.

— Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026
The name Chelydra serpentina evokes colossal reptiles stomping through ancient forests.

— Hannah Smith July 1, Idaho Statesman, 1 July 2026

Definition of stomping

Browse Nearby Words

waddles

waddling

waddy

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“Waddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddling. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of waddling

verb

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