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
Stone is remarkable; emotionally wriggling like a bug pinned to a wall, trying different tactics with this psycho.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Two actors are wriggling across the stage on their bellies.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2025
The fox looked at the wriggling thing, uncertain which side was speaking.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
After several moments, the shark managed to wriggle free and return to the ocean unharmed.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Two actors are wriggling across the stage on their bellies.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2025
The fox looked at the wriggling thing, uncertain which side was speaking.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
After several moments, the shark managed to wriggle free and return to the ocean unharmed.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
-
Juana Rodriguez was bound for hours as her 3-year old son cried and squirmed, according to the ACLU lawsuit that was filed on behalf of three Latino families.—
Michael Kaplan,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The quarterly ritual when companies publicly measure themselves up against analyst estimates, squirm through conference calls, and brace for big after-hours stock moves.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe the girl had crawled under a neighbor's trailer while playing hide-and-seek.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Well, there was a great deal left in me, in an agony of embarrassment looking around for that hole on the floor to crawl into.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her strange presence in Georgia — where Gabbard reportedly arranged for FBI agents to make a post-raid call to the president — looks like nothing more than a way to worm her way back into his good graces.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Callahan spent much of season 4 trying to worm inside Kyle's head and lure him over to the Aryans in order to undercut Mike, but Kyle managed to resist his twisted siren song.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Here, the gentle tide creeps back and forth as a soothing marker of the passing day.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Feb. 2026
-
That’s because one of the star ingredients, snow mushroom extract, boasts exceptional water retention, locking moisture into your hair, sealing the cuticle, and preventing humidity from creeping in.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Carolyn sneaks into a gala; Klein, the fairy godmother, introduces her to the instantly besotted prince, John.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
If your goal is to be able to sneak in earlier or add on an extra service, remember that typically stylists’ schedules are intentionally very tight.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough to catch them, today cheap plastic beaded necklaces from overseas are tossed from floats by the handful.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The military stomp of the score is so tied up in the conception of Superman as an ultra-powerful Eagle Scout that the theme had to be tossed entirely when directors wanted to add a few layers of grime onto the character in the 2010s.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Moscow escalated its attacks on Ukraine's power grid in an apparent effort to deny civilians power and to weaken public support for the war, while hostilities continued along the roughly 600-mile front line snaking through eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Russia appears to be aiming to deny civilians power and weaken public support for the fight, while hostilities continue along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.—
EMMA BURROWS,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
