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 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

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 wriggled Countless individual tread blocks, divided by wide grooves, wriggled around instead of digging in. Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggled
Verb
  • 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.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 May 2026
  • His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.
    Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.
    Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Unlike text or images, robotic manipulation data cannot be crawled from the internet.
    Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • Invasive plant species have infiltrated many of the natural grasslands, said DavidWedin, director of the University of Nebraska’s Center for Grassland Studies.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 June 2026
  • 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.
    Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • 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.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
  • My jaw twitched uncontrollably.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • When the rain cleared, an American flag that covered most of the outfield was unfurled during the national anthem, and the fog slowly crept in.
    Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Vozinha crept toward Messi, rather than wait on his back foot, and stuffed Messi’s right-footed shot.
    Tim Rohan, NBC news, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • 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.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • 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.
    Josh Miller, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.
    David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
  • 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.
    Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Ryan Mendes passed a ball through an Argentine defender’s legs on the right side of the Argentinian box to Deroy Duarte, who calmly took a touch and then slammed a shot through another defender’s legs and then slid it past Martínez into the net.
    Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • Tesla — Shares of Elon Musk's electric vehicle company slid 8% even after Tesla reported second-quarter deliveries that surpassed Wall Street's expectations.
    Davis Giangiulio,Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 2 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wriggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggled. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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