waddle

1 of 2

verb

wad·​dle ˈwä-dᵊl 

waddled; waddling

ˈwäd-liŋ,

ˈwä-dᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to walk with short steps swinging the forepart of the body from side to side

2

: to move clumsily in a manner suggesting a waddle

waddler

ˈwäd-lər

ˈwä-dᵊl-ər 

noun

waddle

2 of 2

noun

: an awkward clumsy swaying gait

Synonyms

Verb

• careen
• dodder
• lurch
• reel
• stagger
• teeter
• totter

Examples of waddle in a Sentence

Verb

He waddled down the hallway.

A fat goose waddled across the yard.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In a recent video shared by the aquarium, Pesto can be seen waddling around in his enclosure as usual. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024

Does this proposition hold for a chatbot? Minsky, arguably, began with a duck that waddled onto the world stage in 1738, in France, the third of three automata built by an inventor named Jacques de Vaucanson. —Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Noun

In the video, Chu lays out food for Sage, but Sasha quickly hears the sound of the food and waddles into the kitchen. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Farrell’s Penguin is heavily scarred, walks with a waddle due to his club foot, and has an overbearing mother. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

frequentative of wade

First Known Use

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1691, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

waddle

1 of 2 verb

wad·​dle ˈwäd-ᵊl 

waddled; waddling ˈwäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to walk with short steps swaying from side to side

ducks waddling to the water

2

: to move slowly and awkwardly

the big boat waddled upstream

waddler

-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun

waddle

2 of 2 noun

: an awkward swaying walk