as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
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Recent Examples of wiggled
Orton wiggled out, and Zayn got a quick roll-up for two.
—
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
One 14 month old tester happily clapped and wiggled along to the songs—a feature that can be adjusted as needed.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Lindsey stepped back and wiggled his right hand toward Smith, then Lindsey put the fullback in motion and again briefly signaled to Smith before the ball was snapped.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
But the Royals wiggled out of late trouble with four late runs and secured the road win.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025
The crowd wiggled to the music with abandon.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
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
One 14 month old tester happily clapped and wiggled along to the songs—a feature that can be adjusted as needed.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Lindsey stepped back and wiggled his right hand toward Smith, then Lindsey put the fullback in motion and again briefly signaled to Smith before the ball was snapped.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
But the Royals wiggled out of late trouble with four late runs and secured the road win.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025
The crowd wiggled to the music with abandon.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggled
Verb
-
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
YouCopia ShelfBin Packet Organizer Avoid spice packets getting buried in drawers or tossed to the back of cabinets.—
Clint Davis,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Ramzy Tabello, the owner of the store, said the suspect tossed between $750,000-$1 million worth of jewelry into trash cans.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Hairstylist Bryce Scarlett pulled it back from her face and twisted it into a low updo with tiny, delicate curling tendrils on either side of the star's face, allowing the gown to shine from the front but adding beautiful detail at the back.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This corona gets all twisted up with magnetic fields, building up tension until, boom, a flare lets it all out.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 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 10 Feb. 2026.
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