as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 wiggled
Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Dyes shot a double-leg takedown on Stockton and was about to bring him to the mat, but the nimble Stockton wiggled out and, in a blink, pinned Dyes for the win.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
On her 2023 debut, the Montreal producer wiggled through new age, trip-hop, and ambient meditations delivered in an ASMR whisper.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Morgan wiggled out and got the tag to Perez, who attacked Ripley from behind.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
As soon as Rocky woke up, his tail began wagging furiously, and his entire body wiggled with excitement.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
The model comically wiggled her tongue back and forth as the artist worked his magic.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Nov. 2025
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Dyes shot a double-leg takedown on Stockton and was about to bring him to the mat, but the nimble Stockton wiggled out and, in a blink, pinned Dyes for the win.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
On her 2023 debut, the Montreal producer wiggled through new age, trip-hop, and ambient meditations delivered in an ASMR whisper.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Morgan wiggled out and got the tag to Perez, who attacked Ripley from behind.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
As soon as Rocky woke up, his tail began wagging furiously, and his entire body wiggled with excitement.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
The model comically wiggled her tongue back and forth as the artist worked his magic.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggled
Verb
-
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cooper Flagg was heavily guarded in the left corner by Dyson Daniels with the shot clock winding down and tossed the ball to Naji Marshall, but the pass was picked off by Jalen Johnson.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
On Monday, at the conclusion of a round of batting practice, Harper tossed his bat toward an empty pitcher’s mound.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Irish dance troupes jumped and twisted every few hundred feet while bands armed with drums and bagpipes played plied their trade.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The greatest writers never lose sight of eternity, it has been said, no matter how loud or twisted the events in the foreground.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But what does some scientist know about eating fruit, of all things, when your hamstring feels like it’s being fiddled by Satan?—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wiggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggled. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
