1
as in to squirm
to make jerky or restless movements
a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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 wriggle
When a state trooper attempted to put him in the back of a patrol car, Stevenson wriggled free and escaped into the woods.
—
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 5 May 2025
Even in the shade of a fruit tree, you could be surrounded by tiny skyscrapers — not made of steel or concrete, but of microscopic worms wriggling and writhing into the shape of long, vertical towers.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
One Florida 5-year-old apparently wriggled out a doggy door and got into his grandmother’s pool.
—Jennifer Peltz, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025
So Good ‘When a Seat Freed Up at the Next Stop, He Sat Back Down’
As a new parent, I was overwhelmed by all the steps required to get a wriggling baby into the water.
—New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 5 May 2025
Even in the shade of a fruit tree, you could be surrounded by tiny skyscrapers — not made of steel or concrete, but of microscopic worms wriggling and writhing into the shape of long, vertical towers.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
One Florida 5-year-old apparently wriggled out a doggy door and got into his grandmother’s pool.
—Jennifer Peltz, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025
So Good ‘When a Seat Freed Up at the Next Stop, He Sat Back Down’
As a new parent, I was overwhelmed by all the steps required to get a wriggling baby into the water.
—New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
-
The prospect is fueling Democratic messaging against the bill — and making moderate Republicans and those in competitive districts squirm.—
Emily Brooks,
The Hill,
8 May 2025
-
This can prepare your body to safely move things without straining your spine, whether that be a bag of yard clippings, a squirming child, or a box of books.—
Christa Sgobba,
SELF,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
The next day, at 9:10 p.m., Boelter crawled out of a wooded area and surrendered to law enforcement.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
-
To make the stakes even higher, Player 39 crawls to the edge after the round ends.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Here, somehow the Dama survives being burned to death and manages to worm her way back into Hershel’s life.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
-
Despite the gloomy overtones, Loznitsa’s powerful movie asserts that goodness hides within the confines of institutional control, worming its way through the boundaries of bureaucratic red tape in an effort to do some good.—
Eric Kohn,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Animated objects tend to activate the deeply rooted human impulse to perceive things that move as alive—a tendency harnessed to great effect in the uncannily twitching wires of Pol Bury’s reliefs or Robert Breer’s creeping domes.—
Marina Isgro,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
-
The early symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps, twitching, stiff muscles, speech challenges, trouble swallowing, and drooling.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
Soon, Kelli’s voice creeps up a few octaves after Brit calls her insecure, prompting her to lay the glam team drama on the table.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
23 June 2025
-
The Mets still have the best ERA in the majors at 3.08, but their month-by-month ERAs are creeping up — from 2.64 in March and April to 3.15 in May and 3.76 so far in June.—
Jerry Beach,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Cane then sneaks up from behind and kills Grady’s men, freeing his father.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
21 June 2025
-
Universal Studios Florida began its iteration of the attraction in 1990, SyFy noted, featuring, of course, a (mechanical) great white shark that snuck up on riders of the boat tour.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Pomeranz has now tossed 18 1/3 innings for the Cubs and has yet to allow an earned run.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
-
As for her glam, the jewelry designer tossed her hair back into a messy bun with strands of hair to frame her face.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
When his man left to protect the lane against Gilgeous-Alexander snaking back against the blitz, Williams would get the swing pass from his point guard and attack the rotated defense.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
-
During the early years, the Pines might have been best known as the home to the Hollywood Sportatorium, where people stuck in a long line of cars snaked along a two-lane road to see rock concerts.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share