wriggle

1 of 2

verb

wrig·​gle ˈri-gəl How to pronounce wriggle (audio)
wriggled; wriggling ˈri-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce wriggle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to move the body or a bodily part to and fro with short writhing motions like a worm : squirm
2
: to move or advance by twisting and turning
3
: to extricate or insinuate oneself or reach a goal as if by wriggling

transitive verb

1
: to cause to move in short quick contortions
2
: to introduce, insinuate, or bring into a state or place by or as if by wriggling
wriggly adjective

wriggle

2 of 2

noun

1
: a short or quick writhing motion or contortion
2
: a formation or marking of sinuous design

Examples of wriggle in a Sentence

Verb The children wriggled and squirmed in their chairs. She managed to wriggle free of her ropes. They wriggled out of their wet clothes. I had trouble getting the wriggling fish off my hook. The snake wriggled across the path and went underneath a bush. He was able to wriggle through the narrow opening.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
These public conversations feel cold and clinical, as Black people are pinned down and wriggling under the microscope. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2024 After more than six minutes, Penny wriggled out from under Neely. Victoria Bekiempis, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
Noun
Clean, simple things are made of an endless wriggle of parts. Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 The court date, originally been set for June 18, will be pushed back by an as-yet undetermined number of days to allow Diamond a little extra wriggle room to secure a new carriage deal with Comcast. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for wriggle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wriggle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from or akin to Middle Low German wriggeln to wriggle; akin to Old English wrigian to turn — more at wry

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wriggle was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near wriggle

Cite this Entry

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wriggle. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

wriggle

1 of 2 verb
wrig·​gle ˈrig-əl How to pronounce wriggle (audio)
wriggled; wriggling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce wriggle (audio)
1
: to twist or move to and fro like a worm : squirm
wriggle in one's chair
wriggle one's toes
2
: to move along by twisting and turning
the eel wriggled its way upstream

wriggle

2 of 2 noun
1
: a short or quick twisting motion
2
: a formation or marking having a winding or twisting course or appearance

More from Merriam-Webster on wriggle

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