Thesaurus results for WAGGLE

waggle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of waggle

as in flap

a quick jerky movement from side to side or up and down a quick waggle of her head to indicate "no"

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waggle

2 of 2

verb

ˈwa-gəl

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

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 waggle

Noun

Researchers found that the receivers of the dance weren’t just following the direction and distance indicated by the waggle dance. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025 Already Guerrero seems to be able to convey of-the-moment phrasings and character directions with a few emphatic motions—a roller-coaster swoop here, a waggle of the fingers there—and get an immediate response from the choristers. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025

Verb

When LaBeija, as Gus the Theatre Cat, finally strolled onstage to revisit his glory days, waggling his long, polished claws, a younger Gus (Jonathan Burke) appeared, like a mirror dancing toward him. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026 The crimson tips of giant tube worms waggled in the current, tangling around clusters of mussels. — Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for waggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggle

Noun

The foil and keel are powered by the 800 V rear e-axle from the new Ferrari Luce and the flaps are driven by a 48 V electric motor.

— Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 July 2026
Zufferey and his team discovered that the robot could launch itself successfully using only its wing size, flap frequency, and tail pitch.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026

Definition of flap

Verb

Kevin Rodriguez eases past Jamal Musiala to flick the ball into the corridor of uncertainty between Manuel Neuer and Jonathan Tah, who had already had a miscommunication earlier in the game.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
The action of continuously flicking a typical mouse wheel up and down can be slow and tedious as well difficult to control, even with infinite scroll wheels.

— Shirl Leigh July 12, New Atlas, 12 July 2026

Definition of flick

Noun

Ever since the infamous finger-wag at LSU, Clark has dominated Angel Reese.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Moreover, if Griffin stepped into public life now, the cynical wags in finance would declare the reason obvious—his hedge fund’s returns have been sagging.

— Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of wag

Verb

There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid.

— Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026

Definition of twitch

Noun

The Times, citing anonymous sources, reported the switch had come at the urging of the Secret Service, and that the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft, including antimissile capabilities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Each layer was assigned to a separate computing unit, while the optical switch connected the processors into a pipeline.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026

Definition of switch

Verb

Three tries in a seven-minute span, including two when Australian fullback Tom Wright was on the sidelines for a yellow card, swung momentum fully in favor of the back-to-back Six Nations champions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Chip stocks — once the hottest corner of the market — also swung sharply as investors continued to question whether the AI trade had become overextended.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 11 July 2026

Definition of swing

Noun

Saints peppered Trick with punches in the corner, but Trick gave Ricky a little wiggle and answered with strikes of his own.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Swain boasts what feels like hours of film of unassisted buckets, with so much wiggle and creativity at his size.

— The Athletic NBA Staff, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Definition of wiggle

Verb

Rinse the blueberries under cold running water, gently swishing them around with your hands to ensure all the berries are exposed to water.

— Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 3 July 2026
The life-size robotic elephants in Prasanth Prakashan's backyard workshop have ears that flap, tails that swish and trunks that squirt water.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of swish

Browse Nearby Words

waggishness

waggle

waggled

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Style

“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of waggle

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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