1
as in squirmed
to make jerky or restless movements
a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in infiltrated
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
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Recent Examples of wriggled
Venezuelan fans — who made the long trip to loanDepot Park for the 2026 World Baseball Classic — wriggled with every pitch.
—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
17 Mar. 2026
Play was recycled and Harrison Armstrong ended up firing a good chance too close to goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Iliman Ndiaye had wriggled free down the right.
—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Emma wriggled obediently out of the offending articles.
—
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
In the soil in his palm, an earthworm wriggled.
—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
26 Dec. 2025
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
17 Mar. 2026
Play was recycled and Harrison Armstrong ended up firing a good chance too close to goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Iliman Ndiaye had wriggled free down the right.
—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Emma wriggled obediently out of the offending articles.
—
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
In the soil in his palm, an earthworm wriggled.
—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggled
Verb
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Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.
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His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.
Verb
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Chelsea Green crawled from under the ring and evened the odds.
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The animal eventually crawled under a dock.
Verb
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Invasive plant species have infiltrated many of the natural grasslands, said DavidWedin, director of the University of Nebraska’s Center for Grassland Studies.
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The Institute for the Study of War has reported that, in the course of advancing towards Kostyantynivka, Russian forces infiltrated the southeastern portion of the city and its suburbs, pushing 2 to 4 kilometers ahead of their assessed lines.
Verb
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Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.
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My jaw twitched uncontrollably.
Verb
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Daily drops of 5% and 4% were followed by a 16% slump as jitters crept into the market.
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On this Hornets team, which crept close to the playoffs last season but still didn’t make it for the 10th year in a row, these two first-round picks aren’t going to start right away unless someone gets hurt.
Verb
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After Tyler Soderstrom drew a walk, the A’s Jonah Heim snuck an opposite-field single past the outstretched dive of third baseman Matt Chapman.
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Julia snuck some matchstick carrots into the potato mixture, then blew my socks off with a punchy, springy topping of feta, mint, dill, and chives.
Verb
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One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.
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Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.
Verb
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When Costco asked for a photograph, Ellinger slid into a tattoo parlor chair and turned the little white lie into a permanent reality.
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Breakker followed Rollins atop the ropes, but Seth bit Bron, who slid down the ropes temporarily.
Cite this Entry
“Wriggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggled. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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