wiggling

verb

present participle of wiggle
as in twitching
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 wiggling Getting both aligned so the cover properly locked took some wiggling on my part. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026 Pull Gently Once the soil is broken up, use your hands to grab the carrots where the greens meet the root, and pull straight up while wiggling slightly. — Aviva Patz, Martha Stewart, 16 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggling
  1. twitching
  2. fidgeting
  3. squirming
  4. tossing
  5. jerking
  6. twisting
  7. fiddling
Verb
  • There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026
  • Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid.
    — Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • At about 45 minutes in, guests were looking at their phones and fidgeting in their seats.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 July 2026
  • Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of fidgeting
Verb
  • With the contact patch sliding and squirming, the brakes had less to work with—and the car took just enough extra distance to end in an impact.
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of squirming
Verb
  • Others drape seal intestines over their fins or take turns tossing sea lion pelts into the air, Shields said.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Evans hit another amazing dive to the outside on Theory before tossing Breakker into the timekeepers area.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also advises against twisting or jerking the tick.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 July 2026
  • Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026
Definition of jerking
Verb
  • As Smith read Colt’s writings, the teenager remained expressionless, sometimes gently rocking and twisting in his chair.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
  • A lot of this work is almost unreadable now, the pained efforts of young eggheads twisting themselves into rhetorical knots over the moral conundrums posed by real-world applications of Marxist principles.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 2026
Definition of twisting
Verb
  • The original Rowdy Rooster, a slim storefront on a scrappy East Village block, closed earlier this year, menu fiddling notwithstanding.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
  • The Fed's influence on credit and the economy is minimal; credit is produced by real-world productivity, not central bank fiddling.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of fiddling

Browse Nearby Words

wiggles
wiggling
wiggly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggling. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wiggling

Nglish: Translation of wiggling for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of sultry

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All