as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
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Recent Examples of wiggling
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
Parents and kids will encounter wiggling, stretching, and breathing exercises in each episode, giving your child that consistent routine their bodies need to sleep well, night after night.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 29 Oct. 2025
That led to him extending both hands and wiggling them in a wave-type motion.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
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
Parents and kids will encounter wiggling, stretching, and breathing exercises in each episode, giving your child that consistent routine their bodies need to sleep well, night after night.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 29 Oct. 2025
That led to him extending both hands and wiggling them in a wave-type motion.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggling
Verb
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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
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Afternoon Ben Thanh Market is Hồ Chí Minh’s biggest market – a vast maze of 1,500 stalls selling everything from still-twitching fish to electronics and souvenirs.—
Tamara Hinson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 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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The veterans, of course, are terrific with one later episode set on a plane that finds Mulligan in top squirming form.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Like him, Rue is squirming under Laurie’s thumb, anxious to get out.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fulton finished the game, ultimately tossing four innings and giving up two runs in Miami’s 7-4 loss to the Orioles — the Marlins’ fourth consecutive defeat that has them 1-5 so far on this 10-game homestand.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
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As the beat dropped, the friends jumped into action — tossing pink flower petals, dancing and laughing before embracing at a glam station.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Pull the tick out gently, without jerking or ripping.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Banda’s first goal came in the 33rd minute with her back to the goal, controlling a header from Rafaelle and twisting around to slot it home for her sixth goal of the season to cut the lead to 2-1.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
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For a second Emily stood there on the porch, twisting up her mouth, as if sucking on the words before speaking them.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
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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
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But in private, Arthur advises her to exercise a little more discretion in her, um, fiddling.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggling. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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