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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wriggle
And, of course, finding anything wriggling around in your box of cereal or cornmeal is definitely upsetting.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
Authorities on Tuesday reportedly apprehended the Michigan woman who went viral after wriggling her way through a police cruiser window while still handcuffed in a daring getaway, according to local outlets.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Around them, a dozen children sunk into their parents’ laps — giggling, wriggling and delighted by the story.
—Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
Rolling off the bed in a silicon sleep cocoon, Grace gradually evolves from a wriggling larval stage into a fully upright, walking and talking smarty-pants.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
Authorities on Tuesday reportedly apprehended the Michigan woman who went viral after wriggling her way through a police cruiser window while still handcuffed in a daring getaway, according to local outlets.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Around them, a dozen children sunk into their parents’ laps — giggling, wriggling and delighted by the story.
—Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
Rolling off the bed in a silicon sleep cocoon, Grace gradually evolves from a wriggling larval stage into a fully upright, walking and talking smarty-pants.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
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With trainers immediately sprinting to the mound to check on Major, the former West Virginia pitcher could be seen squirming on the ground in serious pain.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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The boy is screaming, squirming.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
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While some political observers are brushing off speculation that a deluge of ballots could allow Steyer to crawl into the top two, conservative activists are keeping a close watch.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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The next day, with water levels having dropped inside the cave, the remaining four men caught rescuers by surprise, crawling out on their own just as divers were getting ready to go in and get them.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
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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,
28 May 2026
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OpenAI’s ChatGPT has wormed its way into more and more parts of consumers’ lives, from work to their children’s education, and even mental health and romantic relationships.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
16 May 2026
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
Verb
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Chartreuse creeping Jenny adds even more contrast.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 June 2026
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But even after this evacuation, the 911 call log and the new county report show sheriff’s deputies responded to an increasing number of spot fires and flare-ups that continued to creep farther west.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Autonomous task forces of drones could be assigned to defend against specific threats — Russian subs sneaking into the Atlantic Ocean, say, or a possible amphibious landing on Taiwan.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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Still, there have been occasional opportunities to sneak in some bigger names.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
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
Verb
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Photos and a video Aiello provided show bladed wire snaking around the decomposing animal’s neck and curved horns, as well as the front legs, in a desert landscape dotted with boulders.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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The concept is sure to be alluring to many travelers, as snaking lines from March’s government shutdown still loom large in fliers’ collective memories and summer vacation crowds begin to throng terminals.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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