wriggled

past tense of wriggle
1
2
as in crawled
to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in snuck
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggled
Verb
  • The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by pretty much everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack crawled back to Bliss.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Her hand twitched from the heat.
    Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
  • My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.
    Maggie Downs, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Over the past few years the NHL has crept closer to MLB in valuations.
    Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Alabama and Ole Miss vaulted into the club with big wins, while Texas A&M crept into minus-odds territory with a home win against Auburn.
    Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Body-hugging jerseys and crisp poplin pieces also infiltrated Boero’s lexicon.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Doctors on the ground estimate that tuberculosis has infiltrated almost every second home of this eastern urban compound, killing residents and robbing many families of their livelihoods.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.
    Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Benedet slid into Jones’ spot on the left.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The patio door slid open, and Miss Sammie entered, carrying an aluminum-foil pan filled with rib bones, Jean’s mama trailing behind her, hands full with pitchers in need of refilling.
    David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The pass was a perfect one-timed through ball for Chawinga, who dribbled through five defenders and snuck a shot past Naeher.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The pair has snuck onto the school’s rooftop to skip class and smoke weed — a typical activity for them.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Wriggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggled. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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