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 And that camera is not without a desire to wander, like onto a lone porcupine waddling in the street during a particularly invasive act of trespass. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026 The creature, smaller than a house cat and uniquely round, appeared in social media users’ posts waddling across lawns, fences, and cables around the city. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 The eagles fuss obsessively with their habitat, waddling around on their huge, scaly reptilian feet, moving sticks to and fro with their bony beaks. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddling
  1. lurching
  2. staggering
  3. shuffling
  4. weaving
  5. tottering
  6. rolling
  7. stomping
Verb
  • The United States, which had been lurching toward entry in the Second World War, was suddenly and inescapably thrust into global conflict.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Republicans see Democrats lurching to the left and embracing socialism as an opening to link their opponents to the far more radical communism.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurching
Verb
  • As the deli’s surveillance video rolled, his client went from calmly standing at the counter with a bottle of Gatorade to staggering to the floor, clutching his leg and tearing at his pants.
    — Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 1 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of staggering
Verb
  • The filmmaker has likened his perspective in this project to that of Dorothy’s dog Toto in The Wizard of Oz, alert to the shuffling feet beneath the curtain rather than being bamboozled by the shyster title character’s techno showmanship.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Not much else changed in Class 5A, besides Azle and Arlington Seguin shuffling down two spots with Week 2 losses.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • As a thread weaving through the story’s theme, sequels are a massive topic of discussion, the formula explained by Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) at length.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The Entertainment Development Business Unit of DeNA will begin weaving Utopai’s storytelling AI system, PAI, into its experimental animation workflows.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 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
  • Watersports on the lake, racing go-karts down a steep pavement hill, rolling trucks onto frozen ice in the winter to guzzle beers and rip cigarettes.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Miami Hurricanes made quick work of the Stanford Cardinal on Friday, rolling to a 45-6 win on the road to open the 2026 season and the Atlantic Coast Conference slate.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of rolling
Verb
  • What’s Happening Videos of people pouring Epsom salt onto baking sheets, towels or shower floors and stomping barefoot for roughly 10 minutes have racked up views across TikTok, with users claiming the practice eases anxiety and improves sleep.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Pembroke Pines police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who was recorded on security-camera footage stomping an adult duck to death.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomping

Browse Nearby Words

waddles
waddling
waddy
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Cite this Entry

“Waddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddling. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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