waggles 1 of 2

noun

plural of waggle
as in flaps
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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waggles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of waggle
as in flicks
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 waggles
Noun
Pre-shot routines such as Patrick Cantlay’s foot-shuffling and Brian Harman’s waggles have driven golf fans up a wall. — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggles
  1. flicks
  2. flaps
  3. wags
  4. twitches
  5. swings
  6. switches
  7. bobs
Noun
  • From the settings of spooky flicks and gothic literary legends to places that take their pumpkin patches and seasonal decor quite seriously, these eight spots prove that Halloween is so much more than a single night.
    — Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The yakuza movies of the nineteen-sixties have more in common with classic Westerns than with American gangster flicks.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of flicks
Verb
  • If your dispenser has a latch that flaps open, make sure there is nothing blocking the flap to keep the pod from releasing and dissolving.
    — Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The robot flaps five to six times a second to maintain flight.
    — Ari Daniel, NPR, 9 July 2026
Definition of flaps
Noun
  • The Twitch Like wags or swishes, occasional sharp twitches of the tail are no cause for alarm for you, the hunter.
    — Tom Carpenter, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 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 wags
Verb
  • Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.
    — Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of twitches
Verb
  • Elizondo’s wide-ranging production discography, which swings from hip-hop to country, rock and R&B, attracted Greta Van Fleet.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026
  • When the Spider swings past a silverish-gray newsstand filled with copies of the Daily Bugle, the frame becomes black-and-white, even in the color version.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of swings
Verb
  • These regions, called domains, can interact as the device switches between states.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Relative harms vary significantly when talking about a current tobacco smoker who switches to an e-cigarette compared with a nonsmoker who starts vaping.
    — Emma Fenske, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of switches
Verb
  • According to Calavante, bobs need a trimming every six to eight weeks to maintain their shape.
    — Sarah Madaus, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Onstage at this diverse block party of young and old in Malcolm X shirts and backward Jamaican flag hats, Elsesser bobs his head as if lost in thought.
    — Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of bobs

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Cite this Entry

“Waggles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggles. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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