as in to flap
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions
the rabbit waggled its ears and hopped away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waggle
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
One part of this process – the famous waggle dance – was discovered decades ago.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2011
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024
The observations revealed that elephants greeted one another with specific combinations of vocalizations and gestures, such as rumbles with ear-flapping or ear-spreading, as well as other seemingly less deliberate physical movements, such as tail-raising and waggling, according to the study.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Noun
The silence of the forest might be interrupted with a siren salute from a passing law enforcement helicopter, or a wing waggle from firefighting aircraft passing en route to a fire.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
One part of this process – the famous waggle dance – was discovered decades ago.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2011
Verb
These massive mammals greet each other with a mix of gestures and sounds—by flapping their ears, making rumbling noises, waggling their tails and reaching out their trunks, scientists reported last week in the journal Communications Biology.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024
The observations revealed that elephants greeted one another with specific combinations of vocalizations and gestures, such as rumbles with ear-flapping or ear-spreading, as well as other seemingly less deliberate physical movements, such as tail-raising and waggling, according to the study.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggle
Noun
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It can be worn as a backpack or messenger bag and has a magnetic front flap closure.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2025
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The flaps, which are essential for creating lift at low speeds, appeared to remain retracted, based on early video analysis.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Verb
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The history of zombie movies is littered with cheap, DIY horror flicks by low-budget filmmakers with inventiveness and gusto.—
James Grebey,
Time,
20 June 2025
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The grip is relaxed rather than tense, and the design encourages a whole-hand movement style rather than finger flicking.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 June 2025
Noun
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Shakespeare’s world-weary wags spoke truth to King Lear and other royals, while the heyoka, the holy fool of many Sioux tribes, inverted day-to-day logic to provoke healing laughter.—
Michael Snyder,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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When it was all said and done and Yorkie gave one final wag of her tail, she was revealed to be Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, singer, and actress Erika Jayne.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Animated objects tend to activate the deeply rooted human impulse to perceive things that move as alive—a tendency harnessed to great effect in the uncannily twitching wires of Pol Bury’s reliefs or Robert Breer’s creeping domes.—
Marina Isgro,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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The early symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps, twitching, stiff muscles, speech challenges, trouble swallowing, and drooling.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Noun
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The on/off switch is also in line with the power cord for a seamless look.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
20 June 2025
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The switch back to the one-forward setup El Tri used for much of 2024 didn’t pay immediate dividends, and the crowd of 34,015 at AT&T Stadium became antsy, with some fans booing the display as players headed into the locker rooms for halftime.—
Jon Arnold,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The next step, Thomson said, is to get Harper outside Friday to throw more and swing off a tee.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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Telfar bags swung next to kente cloth wraps, and authors like Clarence Haynes signed copies of his new novel, The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery, as lines snaked through the crowds.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Which brings us to whether the signal of a biosignature—the presence of these key wiggles in the JWST spectrum—is real.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2025
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The song blew up partly because people devised a choreography for it, and a user deployed AI to make The Beastly Senior wiggle to it.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Laimbeer swished a 3-pointer with six seconds to go to cut the lead to 106-105.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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After a Sparks miss, McBride swished home a triple.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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