waggling

verb

present participle of waggle
as in flapping
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

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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 waggling But what happens if a waggling bee is unsure of its directions? — Marta Hill, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026 When LaBeija, as Gus the Theatre Cat, finally strolled onstage to revisit his glory days, waggling his long, polished claws, a younger Gus (Jonathan Burke) appeared, like a mirror dancing toward him. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026 And thanks to social media videos of their head-tilting, leg waggling antics, these web-slingers are in high demand. — Alina Hartounian, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggling
  1. flapping
  2. flicking
  3. wagging
  4. twitching
  5. bobbing
  6. waving
  7. swishing
  8. switching
Verb
  • From then on, whenever UV light hits the patch, its electrical resistance drops for a moment, and a small onboard chip responds by blinking an LED or flapping the wings.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026
  • No blemish can be ignored, no extra ounce of flesh can be left flapping.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of flapping
Verb
  • During winter, both kinglet species flit among tree branches, frequently hovering and energetically flicking their wings to startle insects into movement.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Instamall plans to keep adding brands, but it is already hooked into the inventory systems of its existing partners, so expanding the service to new cities could be as easy as flicking a switch.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • The video showed many of the dogs standing together on a dusty site, near dry brush, barking and wagging their tails.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • At the time, the project felt hyperbolic, largely because of the finger-wagging interventions of Zillah, a modern-day punk anarchist who ranted about Reagan as a new Hitler.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wagging
Verb
  • So take a gander at our favorite gifts of the season, now vibrating and twitching with life.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Previous research by the researchers documented twitching limbs and moving retinas in another jumping spider species.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • Our little skiff, known around here as an alijo, is bobbing like a toy as our captain gently tugs on a few lines descending into the water.
    — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • On Collins Ave in Miami Beach, the yachts along the intracoastal were bobbing nearly at street level.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of bobbing
Verb
  • Watchstanders got a distress call just before noon from the good Samaritan, who told them that there was a vessel with smoke coming from it roughly five miles west of the beach, with a person waving their arms on board.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Milwaukee fans in the crowd of 40,514, many waving yellow towels and some wearing cheeseheads, brought a Badger State feel to Tropicana Field.
    — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of waving
Verb
  • But in his own drawing, De Kooning let rip with liner brushes, swishing them about all over the paper, achieving undulant lines that contract and expand like living creatures.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
  • One displays images of water swishing around the screen’s golden frame.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of swishing
Verb
  • Silicon carbide is widely used in applications such as electric vehicle inverters, while gallium nitride supports compact, fast-switching power converters.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The machine features solid performance for both work and play, and switching it between laptop and tablet modes couldn't be easier.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of switching

Browse Nearby Words

waggles
waggling
wagon
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Cite this Entry

“Waggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggling. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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