1
as in squirms
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
3
as in worms
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 wriggles
Tuesday, March 3, is when the full Worm Moon wriggles its way into the night sky.
—
John Tufts, IndyStar, 24 Feb. 2026
That calls for a little extra creativity from its mom — and the movie’s narrator (Emilia Clarke) — who wriggles her mandibles and gets to work embellishing upon what Dahl imagined.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
John Tufts, IndyStar, 24 Feb. 2026
That calls for a little extra creativity from its mom — and the movie’s narrator (Emilia Clarke) — who wriggles her mandibles and gets to work embellishing upon what Dahl imagined.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggles
Verb
-
When Brian and Murtagh report that Dougal offended the Grants and Colum had to promise Ellen’s hand to appease the situation, Lord Lovat squirms.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
28 May 2026
-
Critics on the Croisette are starting to resemble that classic comic-strip panel in which an explorer crawls desperately across the sand toward an oasis that’s only a mirage.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
MomTok got Taylor on the plane and off to star in The Bachelorette, but not before Dakota worms his way in one last time.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Royals suffered another crushing defeat and are now 16-15 in 2026 when their pitcher tosses a quality start.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
-
When a female of the species shows up to check out a male’s fancy digs, the male tosses his shiniest objects in her direction and shows off his plumage in hopes of impressing her.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
This is where over-reliance creeps in.—
Gregory Lipich,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Hesitation creeps in, options narrow and teams begin playing within themselves.—
Rick Burton,
Sportico.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Without it, walls can have a knock-on effect that infiltrates the rest of your room.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
7 June 2026
-
Nessa infiltrates Maryam’s life as her nurse, aiming to find the truth.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The man fidgets, shifts around in his seat and fixates on Zarutska before pulling out a small knife and striking her multiple times around her neck.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The River Caqueta snakes nearly 1,800 miles into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
The plaster, cave-like living room (complete with a cozy fireplace) served as a backdrop for trivia night; the ice-cold creek, which snakes along the five-acre property, was our personal swimming spot to chase off the heat of the day.—
Aemilia Madden,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggles. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
