wiggles 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wiggle
as in fidgets
to make jerky or restless movements the baby wiggled in her sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wiggles

2 of 2

noun

plural of wiggle
as in shakes

Related 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 wiggles
Verb
Buttermilk the cow is an interactive toy that sings, wiggles its ears, and teaches little ones animal sounds. — Anja Webb, Parents, 28 Nov. 2025 His body wiggles with excitement, signaling his tail is wagging. — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025 As that magnet rotates, the filament likewise wiggles back and forth, making its way through the urinary tract by pushing off against its inner walls. — New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2025 Renewable energy now wiggles its way around via pipes cleverly hidden in the eaves. — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggles
  1. fidgets
  2. shakes
  3. squirms
  4. flicks
  5. twitches
  6. tosses
  7. jerks
  8. twists
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
Definition of fidgets
Noun
  • This year, the menu will add mango shakes and slushies, made with fruit picked over the summer, as well as guava and hot pepper guava jellies.
    — Connie Ogle October 1, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The menu also lists protein shakes, matcha, coffee and smoothies as well as acai bowls, sandwiches and breakfast bowls.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of shakes
Verb
  • The 420 Sport jostles and squirms on these surfaces at low speeds, but the payoff is unfiltered, no-nonsense feedback.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of squirms
Noun
  • International audiences, which typically show up for Cruise flicks, aren’t buying tickets.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And make no mistake, the cat eye was present and accounted for at the VMAs, but Swift gave it a mod-style update with a few flicks of white liner to accent her eyes even more.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of flicks
Verb
  • Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.
    — Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of twitches
Verb
  • A student tosses a metal barrier during a protest at Strasbourg University in eastern France on Friday.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Love finished 16 of 29 for 145 yards with TD tosses to Christian Watson and MarShawn Lloyd for the Packers, whose six-game skid — including the playoffs — was their longest since dropping seven in a row spanning the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of tosses
Verb
  • 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
  • Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Definition of jerks
Verb
  • The child twists away from her, trying to get out of her arms.
    — Joan Kron, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026
  • All four maintain those spots throughout the chase, regardless of the turns and twists throughout the area.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of twists

Browse Nearby Words

wiggle room
wiggles
wiggling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wiggles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggles. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All