1
as in to weave
to cause to twine about one another
tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to squirm
to make jerky or restless movements
writhing in pain from his injuries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 writhe
Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Doncic writhed below the basket, spending a stoppage of 2-plus minutes with a Lakers trainer kneeling beside him.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
The mesmerizing power of the booming sound in a southern Moroccan desert prompts the teeming bodies to writhe and dance in an ecstatic state.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Judith Beheading Holofernes, in which the heroine, with just a bit of a wince, is pictured in mid-decapitation of the writhing enemy, anticipates the action thriller.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for writhe
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Doncic writhed below the basket, spending a stoppage of 2-plus minutes with a Lakers trainer kneeling beside him.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
The mesmerizing power of the booming sound in a southern Moroccan desert prompts the teeming bodies to writhe and dance in an ecstatic state.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Judith Beheading Holofernes, in which the heroine, with just a bit of a wince, is pictured in mid-decapitation of the writhing enemy, anticipates the action thriller.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for writhe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhe
Verb
-
The mandolins weave intricate patterns together, in counterpoint or unison.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
-
This over 1,000-mile route weaves through breathtaking Great Lakes landscapes, tracing the edge of the glacier that covered these parts over 12,000 years ago.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The veterans, of course, are terrific with one later episode set on a plane that finds Mulligan in top squirming form.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The uncanniness of twisting the paraphernalia of daily life into something unfamiliar or strange satisfied the Surrealist desire to subvert convention and tap into the unconscious.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
On 72 minutes, Mac Allister had his blood twisted by Ousmane Dembele at the other end after a typically ruthless PSG counter.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The launch can also be viewed on NASA's social media platforms include Facebook, twitch and X as well as NASA+, the agency's streaming service.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And from the moment man first landed on the moon, Major League Baseball and space exploration have been entwined.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Liaw is also deeply entwined with two other companies that are pivotal to Supermicro’s operations.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When fastened, the zippers are locked in place, and pickpockets would have to fidget for a moment to get the gadget undone, giving you time to react.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The design was inspired by the hair-tearing boredom of COVID lockdown-era remote work, a time in which Knafs founder Ben Petersen maintained sanity during Zoom calls by fidgeting around with pocket knives and doodling pictures.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Javier Assad bounced back after allowing nine runs on 11 hits against the Phillies in his previous outing last Monday by tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The way the Met has chosen to deal with this is to toss the Vatican frescoes onto all four walls of a side room via projector.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Writhe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhe. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
