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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This adorable costume looks poised to rule over The Masked Singer stage with a flick of her paw and a wag of her stumpy tail.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Jan. 2026
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When Cody the golden retriever was introduced to his new sibling, his owner probably would have hoped for some happy tail wags and some curious sniffs to show his curiosity.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 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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One man asked for a switch of signs.—
Asra Q. Nomani , Nikolas Lanum , Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Ball quickly sprinted to the scorer’s table and checked in to applause from the crowd, likely unaware of the switch with the starting lineup.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At the end of Monday's live Atlas demonstration, the humanoid prototype swung its arms in a theatrical gesture to introduce a static model of the new product version of Atlas, which looked slightly different and was blue in color.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Chiefs’ special teams also never swung the field with a return for a touchdown.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Not with pole plants or hippie wiggle turns, but with what is truly the most important part of skiing.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
24 Dec. 2025
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Every small movement of the eyes or wiggle of the fingers provides hope for Rio Foster’s mother.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
25 Nov. 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 Jan. 2026.
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