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
The younger Yaz’s pre-swing bat waggle was the topic, hitting coach Justin Viele said.
—Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Mar. 2023
Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 30 June 2024
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
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
The younger Yaz’s pre-swing bat waggle was the topic, hitting coach Justin Viele said.
—Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Mar. 2023
Verb
For many, this is the last image of that player with the waggling hips, at the top of the world, and unburdened by football’s brutality.
—Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 30 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggle
Noun
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Days after he was elected in September, his to-do list got even longer when the Jimmy Kimmel-ABC crisis erupted, followed by the arrival of AI ingenue Tilly Norwood and the Sora 2 flap involving Bryan Cranston.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
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Then use your right hand to pull that corner up and over the box, allowing the excess paper to fold and crease under the flap.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Instead of slamming it home, Antetokounmpo soared over the defenders to make an improbable catch, landed and flicked an on-target pass to Rollins for a corner 3 before falling out of bounds to give Milwaukee a 14-point lead.—
Eric Nehm,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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After initially suspecting a bullet or debris flicked up by a truck, the police ruled out both.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There will be a canine menu and free wag bags while supplies last.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Oct. 2025
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But not every interaction at dog parks ends with happy tail wags.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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Picture objects levitating or twitching without external interference—or switching rooms.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This change of scenery, located on the farthest end of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is more than just a borough jump and zipcode switch for Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, an animator and illustrator.—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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The lunch menu switches from traditional Brazilian dishes to an international buffet on Saturdays, and an English roast dinner on Sundays.—
Taylor McIntyre,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The election will be a test of whether Mamdani, and his focus on lowering the cost of living, can bring back nonwhite voters who swung to the right.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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When the Ferris wheel goes, the cars are supposed to swing with it, but it got stuck.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Dog with a ‘wiggle butt’ has spent nearly 300 days in shelter.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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Although there is wiggle-room for the inflationary temperature/energy scale to be a bit lower than the limit set by cosmic rays, the CMB limits on the maximum post-inflationary temperature cannot be evaded.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ball swished through the net at the buzzer.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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Soak the Garment Submerge the garment in the water and gently swish it to create suds.—
Tessa Cooper,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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