1
as in to squirm
to make jerky or restless movements
a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wriggle
One standout sequence features a slippery hand-to-hand combat scene among wriggling eels.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
But Ramos wriggled free of Francesco Acerbi, towered above Benjamin Pavard and planted a firm header into the corner of the net.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 18 June 2025
The worms wriggled beneath the animals’ skin, migrated to blood vessels that surround the intestines, and started laying eggs.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
In Madagascar’s densely populated capital city of Antananarivo, a slender creature with a wide head and the ability to regenerate copies of itself should it be cut apart, wriggled its way through someone’s kitchen.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
But Ramos wriggled free of Francesco Acerbi, towered above Benjamin Pavard and planted a firm header into the corner of the net.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 18 June 2025
The worms wriggled beneath the animals’ skin, migrated to blood vessels that surround the intestines, and started laying eggs.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
In Madagascar’s densely populated capital city of Antananarivo, a slender creature with a wide head and the ability to regenerate copies of itself should it be cut apart, wriggled its way through someone’s kitchen.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
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And all those passengers squirming around makes driving more difficult because of the constantly changing weight balance.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
2 July 2025
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Not only do these votes make individual Republicans squirm, but they can be used for attack ads when a senator is up for reelection.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
Verb
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In particular, website owners and SEO experts wanted to know how Cloudflare planned to block Google's bot from scraping sites to fuel AI overviews without risking blocking the same bot from crawling for valuable search engine placements.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 July 2025
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Both are unable, under any circumstances, to resist crawling under someone doing a downward-facing dog.—
Erika Sjule,
New Yorker,
8 July 2025
Verb
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To my great embarrassment, the Velvet Sundown’s songs even managed to worm their way into my brain.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
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The flea larvae, which look like tiny maggots, worm their way into the carpet or mattress, feeding on the flea dirt that their parents left behind, says Benson.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The fearful pup stepped out to greet her, his tail twitching—his first show of trust in a long time.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
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So instead, designers tweaked certain details, like twitching nerves under his skin and the iridescence in his scales.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Verb
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This trend that fuses sensuality, rebellion, and urban style has crept into the closets of celebrities, influencers, and fashion experts alike.—
René Chávez Esparza,
Glamour,
4 July 2025
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In contrast, PepsiCo’s stock has shown minimal movement, creeping up only about 4% from $130 to $135 during the same timeframe.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
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While Lian was staring in the mirror practicing her hows and lows and preparing for her future, Wenyu was sneaking out of prep class more and more frequently to pull petty pranks with her new boyfriend.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
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At the end of Season 2, In-ho so graciously betrays everybody and eventually sneaks away from the pack, fakes his own death of the walkie talkie, and then puts his mask back on and punishes Gi-hun for causing this whole revolt and shoots and kills his best friend right in front of him.—
Jim Halterman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Up to 75 mph winds ripped down power lines, tossed trees onto roads and railroad tracks and forced businesses to close for the day.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
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Cleaning this quilt is a breeze—just toss it in the washing machine and tumble dry for a refresh.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 July 2025
Verb
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The officers used a search pattern in which boats snaked back and forth, moving outward from the shoreline, in increasingly long lines parallel to it, Renner said.—
Ethan Wolin
Updated July 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 July 2025
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High-end brands mixing with everyday experiences, resulting in, inevitably, long lines often snaking out the door.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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