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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
  • No, this film is not a perfect homage to 1970s tough-guy action flicks.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
  • While the Frenchman took the ball from Anderson and the defence and roamed all over, or found Erling Haaland with little flicks, Foden struggled to impose himself.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 6 Sep. 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
  • 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
  • Many critics, political pundits, and wags asked, somewhat rhetorically, whether anyone in the administration recalls how handing the responsibility of nuclear weaponry over to machines turned out in the Terminator movies.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 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
  • Across the room, the discussion swings back to the band’s festival set.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The Slingshot surges forward as the tach swings toward redline, the exhaust emitting a guttural howl.
    — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of swings
Verb
  • That will change slightly in 2027, when the MLS calendar switches to a summer-to-spring season.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The swift rebound when a nation switches from a wobbling to hard currency is a scenario Hanke has witnessed many times before in his adventures as the Money Doctor.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of switches
Verb
  • 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
  • Short, shiny, and loaded with texture, Wavy bobs ooze effortless glamour.
    — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 3 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 22 Sep. 2026.

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