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
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Recent Examples of waggling
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
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
Verb
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And that jockey was flapping and flapping about the top of his horse, lookin’ like a chicken—elbows jumping this way an’ that, but the horse was spent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
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Smaller birds darted around, their small wings flapping rapidly.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The dragons stalk the island, flicking their huge tongues in hopes of picking up the scent of a deer, wild boar, or water buffalo — the latter two species introduced by humans — or rodents and other smaller reptiles, including baby Komodo dragons.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
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This could be the bookworm equivalent of jet setting, perhaps—seeking out the places we’re taken to while flicking the pages.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tongues set to wagging about whether the iconic bad boss at its center was really based on legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour — in some circles, anyway.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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Díaz disagreed, wagging his figure at the flag-bearer, and a VAR check confirmed Bayern could begin the celebrations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Here, American fighter planes, cargo ships and Japanese freighters have spent decades transforming into thriving artificial reefs, draped in coral and surrounded by twitching clouds of tropical fish.—
Dea Jusufi,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
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Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Each node resembles a huge steel sphere bobbing on the water with a tube-like structure extending vertically down beneath the surface.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
5 May 2026
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The host of Watch What Happens Live and executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise, Cohen is bobbing and weaving from one reality universe to the other in many different forms.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Sitting on a small log in the center of the forest, surrounded by softly waving trees and whistling birds, Bob Berkebile wrote a letter no one will ever read.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
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In both chambers, Democratic lawmakers protested the bill by blaring airhorns, waving signs, shouting at Republican members, and leaving the chamber.—
Joseph Nepomuceno,
The Washington Examiner,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The Oregon Zoo’s official TikTok account posted footage of a bear swishing around in a tub filled with ice and water, rolling on his back and kicking his feet before shaking water off.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Illinois freshman then spun to his left and hopped back behind the 3-point line, swishing his second 3-pointer of the night.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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State and federal policymakers should cooperate to roll back pervasive and excessive occupational-licensing restrictions, which make switching jobs or upskilling needlessly difficult.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
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All the bullpen chaos and the name-switching and injuries and only one off day really in this whole stretch … the starters getting deep into games is what really sets that up to be possible to happen, in my eyes.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggling. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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