variants
also wabbles
1
as in shakes
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the patient's hand wobbles so much that he can scarcely hold a glass of water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in lurches
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the table wobbled whenever I leaned on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hesitates
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
we cannot afford to have the governor wobble at this critical time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in falters
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the drunk stood up, wobbled for a moment, and fell forward
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of wobbles
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
The grades look normal, the homework gets turned in, and then a new unit shows up, and the whole thing wobbles.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
Over the next two weeks, these shifts could start to be felt in North America, Europe and Asia as the polar vortex weakens and tumbles south, like a spinning top that slows and wobbles off course.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
And the resulting 35-yard field goal try — a six-inch gimmie putt in the modern NFL — wobbles wide right.
—Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The tone wobbles between genuine dread and a kind of earnest, slightly campy nostalgia reminiscent of Stand by Me.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Our economy wobbles but returns to growth.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Land awkwardly on the kerb and your rider wobbles convincingly.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
The start of its third act wobbles a bit, but the filmmakers provide a smashing ending that holds hope there will be more adventures to follow.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
The grades look normal, the homework gets turned in, and then a new unit shows up, and the whole thing wobbles.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
Over the next two weeks, these shifts could start to be felt in North America, Europe and Asia as the polar vortex weakens and tumbles south, like a spinning top that slows and wobbles off course.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
And the resulting 35-yard field goal try — a six-inch gimmie putt in the modern NFL — wobbles wide right.
—Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The tone wobbles between genuine dread and a kind of earnest, slightly campy nostalgia reminiscent of Stand by Me.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Our economy wobbles but returns to growth.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Land awkwardly on the kerb and your rider wobbles convincingly.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wobbles
Verb
-
Famously there is a leap day every four years—that shakes things up.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Warning shot Rick Jackson shakes hands with Georgia Republican Party Accounting Director Karen Hentschel after qualifying to run for governor at the State Capitol on Friday.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But Wembanyama is on the short list of MVP favorites as the league lurches toward the playoffs, a list that includes former NBA champions Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of OKC, Denver’s Nikola Jokic along with Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles’ Luka Doncic.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
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After a moment of hesitation, Harington lurches forward and plants a passionate kiss on Turner, who responds in kind.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Though Pollan hesitates to claim that a fundamental aspect of human capability and human experience remains beyond science’s reach, A World Appears closely maps out such a territory.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
11 Mar. 2026
-
If a planner hesitates or hedges on this question, consider that a red flag.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If Oviedo falters over the next month, the Red Sox may be forced to flip him with either Tolle or Early.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Alice never falters in her suspicions.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Shifting comments from the Republican president and his top aides are adding to the precariousness of the 12-day-old conflict, which is impacting nearly every corner of the Middle East and causing economic tremors around the globe.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The political tremors triggered by the ballot measure already have reshaped California’s political landscape.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The mind shudders at the thought.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
So one shudders to think what might happen when the Dolphins now face a murderer’s row of elite running backs and mobile quarterbacks.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
What to Expect From ‘Reminders of Him’ The film barely sways from the book, which has sold more than 6 million copies, a decision Caswill says was intentional after reading the screenplay by Lauren Levine and Hoover.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Williams turns his ear for propulsive and bombastic melodies onto traditional Japanese instrumentation, creating a work that sways between gentle, meditative themes for the titular geisha (Ziyi) and heart-pounding selections to fill out her chaotic, tragic life.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In these materials, applying an electric field aligns small electric charges within the crystal structure, reducing the scattering of heat-carrying vibrations.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
One step up are ultrasonic mole repellent devices that emit sonic pulses and cause vibrations deep in the soil.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wobbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wobbles. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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