as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
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Recent Examples of wiggled
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
Over at the Place Pigalle, salty comedians told jokes as exotic dancers wiggled their stuff.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Dyes shot a double-leg takedown on Stockton and was about to bring him to the mat, but the nimble Stockton wiggled out and, in a blink, pinned Dyes for the win.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
On her 2023 debut, the Montreal producer wiggled through new age, trip-hop, and ambient meditations delivered in an ASMR whisper.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Over at the Place Pigalle, salty comedians told jokes as exotic dancers wiggled their stuff.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Dyes shot a double-leg takedown on Stockton and was about to bring him to the mat, but the nimble Stockton wiggled out and, in a blink, pinned Dyes for the win.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
On her 2023 debut, the Montreal producer wiggled through new age, trip-hop, and ambient meditations delivered in an ASMR whisper.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggled
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
-
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
-
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,
ABC News,
1 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
-
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
But then the day before the NCAA 5,000 heats, Chapa twisted his ankle.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Now his bruised body was twisted, lying on the floor with his head against the bed frame.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Wiggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggled. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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