wriggles

verb

present tense third-person singular of wriggle
1
as in squirms
to make jerky or restless movements a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crawls
to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

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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

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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggles
  1. squirms
  2. crawls
  3. worms
  4. tosses
  5. creeps
  6. infiltrates
  7. fidgets
  8. snakes
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
Verb
  • There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawls
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
Definition of worms
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
  • The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Rain creeps back into the forecast by the middle of next week, when the tides are expected to be closer to normal.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of creeps
Verb
  • The show, which stars Jessica Chastain as an investigator who infiltrates online hate groups to prevent incidents of mad violence.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026
  • This coexistence of the everyday and the extraordinary suggested to me a cinematic way of approaching death – not as a spectacular intrusion, but as a presence that slowly infiltrates daily life.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of infiltrates
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
Verb
  • The new district snakes up through Kansas City’s urban core, in an attempt to create a district more favorable for Republicans in the 5th District.
    — Jack Harvel July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
  • The story of McCarthy’s life was written on this winding street that snakes through a small, working-class corner of Pittsburgh where the Monongahela River bends.
    — Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of snakes

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Cite this Entry

“Wriggles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggles. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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