as in to fidget
to make jerky or restless movements
the toddler squirmed the whole time we were in the waiting room
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as in squirming
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squirm
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
Megan McCluskey, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
Packed with numerous squirm-worthy scenes and strong commentary on impossible beauty standards, this film is best watched when the clock strikes midnight.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squirm
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
Noun
Visibly anxious and more than a little drunk, Emma proceeds to offer up a confession that marks the point of no return in writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s divisive squirm comedy.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
Packed with numerous squirm-worthy scenes and strong commentary on impossible beauty standards, this film is best watched when the clock strikes midnight.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squirm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squirm
Verb
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Rafa starts to fidget around noon before mama is supposed to meet us for her lunch break.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Jost proceeded to read them — as usual squirming while doing it.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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It’s not made explicitly clear if these seemingly sympathetic kids are actually his worst bullies, but Machado-Graner’s eyes, lip twitch, and throat gulp in this short sequence tell a whole story in themselves.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The third-base umpire tossed Angels reliever Brent Suter and Rays pitchers Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodríguez from the late-afternoon game at Tropicana Field.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
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Various objects had been tossed from the two-level porch and lay scattered across the grass.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
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During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Don’t twist or jerk the tick, which can cause the mouth to break off in your skin.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Barnard attended the ceremony with Soprano, Lola’s female stand-in and a convincing lookalike, who accepted the collar with considerable enthusiasm and even more considerable wriggling.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirm. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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