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
On an island in the middle of the Florida Everglades, Taylor Stanberry — mostly nocturnal in the summer catching Burmese pythons — uncovered a wriggling nest of 30 baby pythons.
—
Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Elanga looked very decent against Atletico, wriggling down the right with blistering pace.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
But the cat wriggled its head through a handle and squeezed through.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025
With each project like Rossetti's that is wriggled from the infrastructure, the foundation becomes increasingly unstable.
—Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Elanga looked very decent against Atletico, wriggling down the right with blistering pace.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
But the cat wriggled its head through a handle and squeezed through.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025
With each project like Rossetti's that is wriggled from the infrastructure, the foundation becomes increasingly unstable.
—Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
-
But the Rockies, as is their wont, made the Padres squirm, belting 14 hits, including a solo home run by Mickey Moniak in the ninth off Robert Suarez.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan stage and shoot said home invasion like a Jacques Tati sequence — that is to say, from an amused, ironic distance that watches humans squirm and scramble without intervention.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
On Wednesday, a similar scene closely followed as the funeral procession for Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Hunter Simoncic crawled along through the highways and streets in the community Simoncic worked to keep safe.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Eby crawled across a ladder over the water to the vehicle, then crawled back with the child on his back, the video shows.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But Donaggio prefers to worm his way into your brain — and into the deepest pit of fears in your stomach.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Last month, hackers wormed their way into Tea and accessed sensitive user data; 70,000 user images and more than 1 million private messages reportedly were leaked, including communications about abortions, users’ driver’s-license photos, and phone numbers that had been shared in private messages.—
Albert Fox Cahn,
The Atlantic,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Jones’ raw traits have always been jaw-dropping — a 6-foot-6 defensive end who can combine an edge rusher’s twitch with an interior lineman’s power.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Koberidze opens with a montage of cats, foot traffic, street dogs twitching in their sleep, statues and trees casting long shadows across buildings.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The feelings of postpartum depression — despair, guilt, shame and worthlessness — began creeping in.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, surged 15% on Tuesday as jitters crept back onto Wall Street.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
During in-class exams, screens may be locked or recording technology may be employed, but students have ways around these, too—sneaking phones in, for example.—
Ashanty Rosario,
The Atlantic,
3 Sep. 2025
-
On the wing of the plane, Bond lands a one-liner before engaging in multiple fistfights, all controlled by the player, before sneaking inside.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now, amid the federal overhaul, Morgan fears the VA will toss aside her family and other families' cases.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Hughes noted that New York has a handful of packages prepared for the rookie and could toss him out there in certain situations Week 1.—
Kevin McCormick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Originating in the Tibetan Plateau, the Nujiang River snakes its way through southern China andeventually flows into Myanmar.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 2,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Lines snaked around every outside court, contrasting sharply with the ones only in use for practice, sparsely and quietly populated with players honing their skills for the bigger stages.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share