wobble

1 of 2

verb

wob·​ble ˈwä-bəl 

variants or less commonly wabble

wobbled also wabbled; wobbling also wabbling ˈwä-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move or proceed with an irregular rocking or staggering motion or unsteadily and clumsily from side to side

b

: tremble, quaver

2

: waver, vacillate

transitive verb

: to cause to wobble

wobbler noun

or less commonly wabbler

ˈwä-b(ə-)lər 

wobbliness noun

or less commonly wabbliness

ˈwä-blē-nəs 

wobbly adjective

or less commonly wabbly

ˈwä-b(ə-)lē 

wobble

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly wabble

1

a

: a hobbling or rocking unequal motion (as of a wheel unevenly mounted)

b

: an uncertainly directed movement

2

: an intermittent variation (as in volume of sound)

Synonyms

Verb

• agitate
• bucket
• convulse
• jerk
• jiggle
• joggle
• jolt
• jounce
• judder [chiefly British]
• quake
• quiver
• shake
• shudder
• vibrate

Examples of wobble in a Sentence

Verb

The vase wobbled but didn't fall over.

The boy was wobbling along on his bicycle.

The table wobbles a little.

They have been wobbling in their support of the president's policies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The deer slows, turns broadside, wobbles a bit, then falls dead. —Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2024

All these policies would help Black and Latino families, and so might shore up their wobbling loyalty to the Democratic Party. —Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

Noun

Norris overtook Leclerc for second late on in the race, as the Monegasque driver had a huge wobble at the final corner that almost sent him into the barriers. —Sam Joseph, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024

As tiny as that seems, the wobbles of small worlds usually manifest as motions approximately 10 times smaller still. —John Wenz, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably from Low German wabbeln; akin to Old English wǣfre restless — more at waver

First Known Use

Verb

1657, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

wobble

1 of 2 verb

wob·​ble ˈwäb-əl 

wobbled; wobbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

a

: to move or cause to move with a jerky rocking or side-to-side motion

the baby's head wobbled from side to side

b

: tremble entry 1 sense 1

a voice that wobbles

2

: waver sense 1

his opinion wobbled

wobbler

ˈwäb-(ə-)lər 

noun

wobbly

-(ə-)lē 

adjective

wobble

2 of 2 noun

: a wobbling action or movement

the wheel had a bad wobble