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
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Recent Examples of wriggles
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
Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggles
Verb
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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
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John Tufts The weather outside is about to get frightful as a potentially dangerous winter storm crawls its way across the country.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the video, the coyote crawls out of the water and struggles to get his footing once on the rocks.—
Amanda Hari,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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But don’t let any of that hinder you from seeing director/co-screenwriter Ryan Prows’ nutso horror movie, which also tosses some decidedly less effective social commentary onto the barbie.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
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Some lay them flat, others hang them up, and the last set tosses them into a bin.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mintz agrees that intentional time matters, especially when guilt creeps in.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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Each 40-ish minute episode following the premiere delivers diminishing returns, Elba can only beg people to listen to him so many times before growing monotonous, and when the train creeps to a polite stop at its final destination, there’s little suspense to the resolution and even less sense.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tehran stars Niv Sultan as agent Tamar Robinyan, a hacker who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
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The lakes overlay sand that rapidly infiltrates water, carrying it into the ground or into the district’s 30 storage basins.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
13 Jan. 2026
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The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is an artificial trail that snakes a quarter-mile around towering climbing walls, with glittering skyscrapers for a backdrop.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggles. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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