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
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Recent Examples of waggling
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
Alina Hartounian, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggling
Verb
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The team also discovered that rays using undulatory, wave-like swimming had better ground clearance than those with purely oscillatory, flapping motions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
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For example, malware could send commands to rapidly open and close circuit breakers, a technique known as flapping.—
Saman Zonouz,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Alijah Arenas switched between his forehand shot and backhand, flicking the plastic ball over the net to his opponent, former NBA star Brandon Jennings.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
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While the horses were flicking sand like fireworks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Start your new year with love, cuddles and wagging tails!—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
22 Dec. 2025
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Christmas cheer came early, with wagging tails and floppy ears.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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But the Missouri was always a wild river twitching its bed from side to side across its flood plain.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
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Harnessing the camp of countless Drag Race acting challenges that came before her, Jujubee films a close-up reaction to a group of rowdy passengers reprimanding her, escalating the moment until her face is full-on twitching before a physical confrontation.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And many of them were side-stepping and bobbing along to a set by DJ Mace, who was also busting moves nonstop, even when the cameras weren't on him.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2026
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Meeks and cinematographer Stefan Weinberger pay special attention to the region’s natural beauty, repeating a single shot of a car bobbing over a two-lane highway amid vibrant green hills.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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However, that does not stop Glenn from proudly waving and exchanging Olympic pins adorned with the trans pride flag.—
Jasmine Wynn,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
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Seahawks fans were spotted climbing light poles, lighting fireworks, waving flags and causing other kinds of pandemonium in Seattle.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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My child attended daycare and summer programs at Pillsbury United Communities center just four blocks away, where a multiracial cohort of kids happily play through the winter, swishing around in bulky jackets and snow pants, bouncing towards their parents.—
Bao Phi,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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In 2020, when Wembanyama was 16, a video of him swishing midrange jumpers against Rudy Gobert, a 7-foot-1 French compatriot and one of the NBA’s top defenders, went viral.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Here, interior designers share how to use lighting to beat mid-winter blues, which can be as simple as switching out a light bulb.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Consumers are switching to cheaper home brews, alternative drinks or giving up coffee entirely, though some miss the social ritual.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggling. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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