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
In Madagascar’s densely populated capital city of Antananarivo, a slender creature with a wide head and the ability to regenerate copies of itself should it be cut apart, wriggled its way through someone’s kitchen.
—
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
This means walking on the wing and dangling from a thin bar and wriggling his way from the passenger seat into the cockpit, all while the plane is rocketing forward.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
This means walking on the wing and dangling from a thin bar and wriggling his way from the passenger seat into the cockpit, all while the plane is rocketing forward.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
-
Not only do these votes make individual Republicans squirm, but they can be used for attack ads when a senator is up for reelection.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
-
Enjoy a vivid, squirming alien world filled to the brim with some of the most monstrous sprites ever rendered on a 2-D machine.—
Luke Winkie,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
To make the stakes even higher, Player 39 crawls to the edge after the round ends.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
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
Verb
-
To my great embarrassment, the Velvet Sundown’s songs even managed to worm their way into my brain.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
-
The flea larvae, which look like tiny maggots, worm their way into the carpet or mattress, feeding on the flea dirt that their parents left behind, says Benson.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The fearful pup stepped out to greet her, his tail twitching—his first show of trust in a long time.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
-
So instead, designers tweaked certain details, like twitching nerves under his skin and the iridescence in his scales.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Verb
-
This trend that fuses sensuality, rebellion, and urban style has crept into the closets of celebrities, influencers, and fashion experts alike.—
René Chávez Esparza,
Glamour,
4 July 2025
-
In contrast, PepsiCo’s stock has shown minimal movement, creeping up only about 4% from $130 to $135 during the same timeframe.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
While Lian was staring in the mirror practicing her hows and lows and preparing for her future, Wenyu was sneaking out of prep class more and more frequently to pull petty pranks with her new boyfriend.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
-
At the end of Season 2, In-ho so graciously betrays everybody and eventually sneaks away from the pack, fakes his own death of the walkie talkie, and then puts his mask back on and punishes Gi-hun for causing this whole revolt and shoots and kills his best friend right in front of him.—
Jim Halterman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
They’re rolled across bathroom floors, stored in public bins at TSA checkpoints, and tossed into airplane cargo holds.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 June 2025
-
For weeks, social media has been flooded with videos of federal agents, their faces often shrouded by masks, violently arresting bystanders who are filming their actions, dragging a taco stand vendor by her arm and tossing smoke bombs into a crowd of angry onlookers.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
The officers used a search pattern in which boats snaked back and forth, moving outward from the shoreline, in increasingly long lines parallel to it, Renner said.—
Ethan Wolin
Updated July 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 July 2025
-
Fans lined up by the hundreds in meet-and-greet lines that snaked in snarls around the room.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share