wriggle out of
phrasal verb
wriggled out of; wriggling out of; wriggles out of
informal + often disapproving
: to avoid doing (something that one does not want to do) in some clever or dishonest way
She tried to wriggle out of the contract.
Don't let him wriggle out of paying you for your work.
Examples of wriggle out of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Historically, he’s managed to wriggle out of trouble.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Adams' critics say his collaboration is part of an effort to wriggle out of federal corruption charges, though the mayor called on city lawmakers to allow New York police to work more with ICE even before Trump was elected.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
The way that Judge Crawford keeps popping up as a needle in her side and her ire at his eel-like ability to wriggle out of her mental grasp just might push her too far.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
The Cavs had already planned on being a luxury-tax team with this loaded core (and wisely wriggled out of the tax this season to prevent the repeater clock from starting on them), but their roster challenges at the margins will become harder.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Tariffs that countries can wriggle out of through policy concessions are not a stable revenue source, and what if other nations follow through on threats to introduce retaliatory tariffs?
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
In fact, as Crichton learned, technologies often wriggle out of the grasp of their creators.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025
Henry has to grab the tail with his free hand to keep it from wriggling out of his grasp.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 28 Aug. 2024
The 26-year-old has a strong pass completion but is not afraid to take risks, frequently wriggling out of trouble and driving forward to attract bodies towards him.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
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Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Adams' critics say his collaboration is part of an effort to wriggle out of federal corruption charges, though the mayor called on city lawmakers to allow New York police to work more with ICE even before Trump was elected.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
The way that Judge Crawford keeps popping up as a needle in her side and her ire at his eel-like ability to wriggle out of her mental grasp just might push her too far.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
The Cavs had already planned on being a luxury-tax team with this loaded core (and wisely wriggled out of the tax this season to prevent the repeater clock from starting on them), but their roster challenges at the margins will become harder.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Tariffs that countries can wriggle out of through policy concessions are not a stable revenue source, and what if other nations follow through on threats to introduce retaliatory tariffs?
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
In fact, as Crichton learned, technologies often wriggle out of the grasp of their creators.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025
Henry has to grab the tail with his free hand to keep it from wriggling out of his grasp.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 28 Aug. 2024
The 26-year-old has a strong pass completion but is not afraid to take risks, frequently wriggling out of trouble and driving forward to attract bodies towards him.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle out of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wriggle%20out%20of. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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