waddle

[ wod-l ]

See synonyms for waddle on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),wad·dled, wad·dling.

to walk with short steps, swaying or rocking from side to side, as a duck.
to move in any similar, slow, rocking manner; wobble: The ship waddled into port.

noun

an act or instance of waddling, especially a waddling gait.

Origin of waddle

1350–1400; Middle English; see wade, -le; compare German watteln

Other words from waddle

waddler, noun
wad·dling·ly, adverb
waddly, adjective
un·wad·dling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use waddle in a sentence

The next day “I marched in—or more like waddled in—to see Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in their office.”
The Chief Problem With 'Lean In' | David Frum | May 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He waddled when he walked, books under arm and sheets of paper in hand–a happily disheveled image that made me grin.
Iraq War 10th Anniversary: What Does Fiasco Mean? | John Kael Weston | March 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
One surprise: the English bulldog finally waddled into the top five, a ranking it had not received in 75 years.
How the English Bulldog Lost Westminster But Conquered America | Keli Goff | February 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
All her years she had squatted and waddled there upon the island, gathering legends of the Baratarians and the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
Scattergood picked him up, tucked him under a huge arm, and waddled through the great man's door.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland

Little Duckie and his real mother and father came out of the water and waddled off towards the barn.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
He swung around forthwith in the trail and went after her—whereat she waddled faster through the snow like a frightened duck.
Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower
As they waddled closer they puffed under the weight of heavy belts sagging with rows of odd, translucent instruments.
Restricted Tool | Malcolm B. Morehart

British Dictionary definitions for waddle

waddle

/ (ˈwɒdəl) /

verb(intr)

to walk with short steps, rocking slightly from side to side

noun

a swaying gait or motion

Origin of waddle

C16: probably frequentative of wade

Derived forms of waddle

waddler, noun
waddling, adjective
waddly, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse