as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements
the toddler squirmed the whole time we were in the waiting room
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Recent Examples of squirmed
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.
—
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Juana Rodriguez was bound for hours as her 3-year old son cried and squirmed, according to the ACLU lawsuit that was filed on behalf of three Latino families.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Juana Rodriguez was bound for hours as her 3-year old son cried and squirmed, according to the ACLU lawsuit that was filed on behalf of three Latino families.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squirmed
Verb
-
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
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We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In an over hourlong debate Tuesday at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium, eight candidates running for California governor sparred over health care and tossed jabs just days before Californians can begin voting early in the state's primary election.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
They got tossed into the garbage also after a Stop Sale.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Arndt allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings but wiggled out of most of the jams.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But what does some scientist know about eating fruit, of all things, when your hamstring feels like it’s being fiddled by Satan?—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
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As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His fingers splayed and writhed like a terrible mandible.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But then the day before the NCAA 5,000 heats, Chapa twisted his ankle.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Now his bruised body was twisted, lying on the floor with his head against the bed frame.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirmed. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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