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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Available in a limited series and priced at 480 euros, the navy unisex design crafted from leather comes with clean lines, a distinctive statement tongue flap with the Puma logo and the Jil Sander one rendered in golden foiling on the side.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
14 Oct. 2025
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The side walls and the top flap zip open, and the mesh walls have tiny curtains that roll up or Velcro closed to give your pet some peace and quiet.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Djokovic raced onto it, flicked the ball down the line, and still won the point, rousing himself and the crowd with a finger to the ear.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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Hit the ignition button and the blade doesn't just flick on; the light extends like a real lightsaber would.—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But not every interaction at dog parks ends with happy tail wags.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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This is not about taking the wag out of the puppy’s tail.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her hand twitched from the heat.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Also this year, O’Leary oversaw the switch in the org’s name to Cinema United (for years it was confused with the other NATO).—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
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The switch also highlights the huge umbrella that country music now spans.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
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Tucker swung through it once again.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Then a series of jumps to touch the crossbar, followed by a wiggle to either side and a final few star jumps.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Ultimately, the full-body wiggle could help shake out the tension in your back, get your blood flowing, and decompress things a bit.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fill a bowl or sink with water, add a drop of fabric softener, and swish it around.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
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Users can also operate the gimbal's motor manually via its joystick control, or simply swish the whole rig back and forth/up and down by hand.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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