as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
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Recent Examples of wiggling
The first huddle of a summer Chiefs practice Thursday began with something of a trademark — the right-hand fingers of quarterback Patrick Mahomes wiggling in the air, requesting a play call.
—
Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
The dancing and wiggling Mini Pi Plus robot from High Torque of China, for instance, still can’t help at an auto plant or do your dishes.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Spencer took out his phone and played a recording of his daughter telling the wiggling story.
—John Kenney, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Dakar captures their tractor turning over the earth and storks swooping down for wiggling worms to feed their young.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
The high-protein hype has reached a fever pitch, and Parmesan cheese is wiggling its way into the cultural conversation.
—Michele Ross, SELF, 20 Jan. 2026
Laughing and wiggling her body, Fiona begins to roll over onto her stomach, ending up closer to Huckleberry.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
After that failed, with the student wiggling out of the coat and hitting, kicking and trying to bite the teacher, the teacher said, the school security guard returned to the van with tube socks.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Nov. 2025
Pressurizing the actuator gets you one single actuation, but to make the actuator wiggle (wiggling being an absolutely necessary skill for any robot), the gas has to be cyclically released.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Nov. 2025
Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
The dancing and wiggling Mini Pi Plus robot from High Torque of China, for instance, still can’t help at an auto plant or do your dishes.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Spencer took out his phone and played a recording of his daughter telling the wiggling story.
—John Kenney, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Dakar captures their tractor turning over the earth and storks swooping down for wiggling worms to feed their young.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
The high-protein hype has reached a fever pitch, and Parmesan cheese is wiggling its way into the cultural conversation.
—Michele Ross, SELF, 20 Jan. 2026
Laughing and wiggling her body, Fiona begins to roll over onto her stomach, ending up closer to Huckleberry.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
After that failed, with the student wiggling out of the coat and hitting, kicking and trying to bite the teacher, the teacher said, the school security guard returned to the van with tube socks.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Nov. 2025
Pressurizing the actuator gets you one single actuation, but to make the actuator wiggle (wiggling being an absolutely necessary skill for any robot), the gas has to be cyclically released.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggling
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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Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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As the court moved to watch the KSTU-TV segment, Tyler Robinson appeared to begin fidgeting, with one of his hands moving and rubbing his fingers back and forth.—
Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Unless your companion could use a hand or is traveling with young kids (in the latter case, if this person also happens to be your spouse or partner, really not cool to leave them with the stroller, diaper bag, squirming kids).—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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The player who was hit by the cart immediately grabbed his thigh and knee area while squirming in pain on the ground.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The video appears to show a person standing with a snow shovel outside the house, near the street, then retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Toast 1 cup raw walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.—
Kamal Mouzawak,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 May 2026
Verb
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According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of seizures can include short-term confusion, staring spells, stiff muscles and jerking movements of the arms and legs.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Alex Edwards kneeled on the carpet to calm down Zuri Kafuko, 3, by twisting part of her hair back in place.—
William J. Ford,
Baltimore Sun,
25 May 2026
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Press straight down to cut the dough, without twisting the cutter, to keep the layers intact.—
Terrence Hayes,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
Verb
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On Sunday, the lineup includes Tatiana Hargreaves, a rising-star in the bluegrass fiddling scene, with her band and special guest Michael Daves; the honky-tonk duo Caleb Lauder and Reeb Wllms with their band the Cali Cutups; and Pleasanton native and all-world strings player Tony Furtado.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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But none of these tracks really explore their ideas as much as just fiddling in place, with any initial energy fizzling out almost immediately.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggling. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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