How to Use squirm in a Sentence

squirm

verb
  • The frog squirmed out of his hands.
  • The gory details of the story had me squirming in my seat.
  • He tried to hold onto her but she squirmed free.
  • The children squirmed with delight.
  • The baby squirmed a lot when I tried to hold him.
  • She squirmed under her father's angry stare.
  • The younger kids played and squirmed through the crowd.
    Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 7 May 2024
  • There's a video of the baby squirming in the pool for the first time.
    Carol Motsinger, Cincinnati.com, 18 Jan. 2018
  • The child giggled and squirmed out of their arms during the long hearing.
    BostonGlobe.com, 12 Oct. 2019
  • Try not to squirm -- this one goes by the strange, slithery nickname, Worm Moon.
    CNN, 28 Mar. 2021
  • Duke’s Grayson Allen isn’t squirming when the subject comes up.
    Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, 17 May 2018
  • Ter Stegen almost stopped the spot kick, which squirmed under him and over the line.
    Joseph Wilson, chicagotribune.com, 14 Apr. 2018
  • Their eyes on their teacher, a dozen preschoolers squirmed to claim their chance.
    Washington Post, 18 July 2019
  • The girls, one of whom sat on her mother’s lap, squirmed and played a pat-a-cake-like game during the hearing.
    Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 26 June 2018
  • Macdonald had to use her whole body to pin down the squirming shark.
    Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
  • The audience was shocked that Abbott did not scream and squirm.
    Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2019
  • My goal, then, was not to have people see me and squirm but to see me and ask about my vacation.
    Julia Black, Esquire, 30 Mar. 2017
  • From one draft to the next, characters squirm into new shapes.
    Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
  • Democrats who once begged her to run for president now squirm when they’re asked about her.
    David Weigel, The Seattle Times, 12 Sep. 2017
  • Truong then grabbed the boy's arm, pulled him close and molested the child who squirmed and dropped to the floor to try to escape, police said.
    Serena O'Sullivan, azcentral, 1 Aug. 2019
  • Nicole squirmed in her chair, her Converse high-tops shaking.
    Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
  • Across the room, a litter of tiny puppies squirmed and cuddled with each other.
    Christina Avery, The Arizona Republic, 14 July 2024
  • The ball is popped into the middle of the circle and the players push against each other and gain ground up the pitch until the ball squirms out of the scrum.
    SI.com, 31 July 2019
  • Then dig out 6 inches of soil and count the number of earthworms squirming on the shovel.
    Julie Monahan, Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2015
  • Propped up on a tripod, low to the floor, the Telenoid squirms to life once activated.
    Alex Mar, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2017
  • Axis deer can leap over fences up to 5 feet tall, though Seale said most squirm out from under them.
    René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Mar. 2021
  • Stay grounded, don’t squirm, fidget or look at your phone.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2021
  • Kapito was married at 13 and has a toddler son named Moses, who squirms on her lap.
    Abigail Haworth, Marie Claire, 19 Mar. 2018
  • Most Republicans seemed content to let the Democrats squirm.
    Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2024
  • Audiences, critics and celebrities keep lining up to squirm.
    Jazmine Hughes, Washington Post, 25 July 2024

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

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