waggling

verb

present participle of waggle
as in flapping
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions the rabbit waggled its ears and hopped away

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 waggling When LaBeija, as Gus the Theatre Cat, finally strolled onstage to revisit his glory days, waggling his long, polished claws, a younger Gus (Jonathan Burke) appeared, like a mirror dancing toward him. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026 And thanks to social media videos of their head-tilting, leg waggling antics, these web-slingers are in high demand. — Alina Hartounian, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggling
  1. flapping
  2. flicking
  3. wagging
  4. twitching
  5. bobbing
  6. waving
  7. swishing
  8. switching
Verb
  • That means the bird species flapping around in backyards today are effectively the only surviving dinosaurs.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Real manta rays propel themselves by rhythmically flapping and undulating their enormous pectoral fins.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of flapping
Verb
  • Coming for a variety of longtime critics of the merger, opposition rose and suspicion about the settlement served to pour gasoline on an already flicking fire.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • He’s getting hit sometimes, and just flicking this ball out there.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • Think again about kids wagging their fingers in each other’s faces on a playground.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
  • From the creators of DreamWorks Animation’s hit series Gabby’s Dollhouse, Doozie’s Doghouse is a mixed-media companion series that continues the fun with tail-wagging surprises, woof-tastic unboxings, and imaginative play.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of wagging
Verb
  • This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • On Collins Ave in Miami Beach, the yachts along the intracoastal were bobbing nearly at street level.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The world was not watching, but the ostriches were, their heads bobbing above the pen like periscopes.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bobbing
Verb
  • The stranger approached the store owner, a stout man waving a rattan fan lazily at his face while sitting at the till.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Fortunately, her dad is used to making saves in front of 42,843 towel-waving fans.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of waving
Verb
  • But in his own drawing, De Kooning let rip with liner brushes, swishing them about all over the paper, achieving undulant lines that contract and expand like living creatures.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
  • One displays images of water swishing around the screen’s golden frame.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of swishing
Verb
  • Angi data shows 60 percent of consumers are now putting off projects and switching to maintenance.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Now, the 30-year-old, who is in his first season with the Penguins, has decided to honor his father, Alexander, by switching his jersey number.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of switching

Browse Nearby Words

waggles
waggling
wagon
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Cite this Entry

“Waggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggling. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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