waddle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
waddles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
waddled,
past participle, past
-
waddling
present participle
-
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
-
waddles
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
waddlesimple
-
waddlessimple
-
have waddledperfect
-
has waddledperfect
-
am waddlingprogressive
-
are waddlingprogressive
-
is waddlingprogressive
-
have been waddlingperfect progressive
-
has been waddlingperfect progressive
Past
-
waddledsimple
-
had waddledperfect
-
was waddlingprogressive
-
were waddlingprogressive
-
had been waddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of waddle
1350–1400; Middle English; see wade, -le; compare German watteln
Explanation
A duck's walk is a waddle. To imitate it, turn your feet away from each other and take short clumsy steps that make you swing unsteadily from side to side. Ducks aren't the only animals known to waddle. Penguins with their little tiny feet may waddle along the ice, though they move gracefully through the water. If your footing is unsteady, you might waddle a little too as you tread carefully. Don't confuse waddle with wattle. A wattle is the red bit of flesh that hangs from the necks of turkeys and chickens. Wattles waddle back and forth as birds waddle along.
Vocabulary lists containing waddle
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
25 Ways of Walking
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hundreds of thousands of tourists a year flock to viewing areas and boardwalks to watch the diminutive sea birds waddle ashore and along the beach in the evenings on the eastern coast's Phillip Island.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
It couldn’t waddle or sway without components from Chinese robot maker Unitree that power the motion of its neck and legs, according to a research paper by Disney.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Huntington Beach junior lifeguards volunteered at the event, according to a news release from the center, unzipping the cages on the beach to allow the birds to waddle out to shore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
That part of the leg, they say, is where fibular reduction among some dinosaurs tens of millions of years ago helped make it possible for peacocks to strut, penguins to waddle, and turkeys to trot.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024
I waddle through the orchard of leafless apple trees, the legs of my snowpants whisking against each other, down to the bus stop.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
In fact, the accusatory Atlantic piece waddles toward the conclusion that on a risk-adjusted basis, the train isn’t especially deadly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
As expected, Colin Farrell waddles apart for his nigh-unrecognizable turn as the reimagined Bat-nemesis in “The Penguin.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2025
When E.T. waddles into the kids’ lives, his supernatural abilities are like an extension of their vivid imaginations.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2022
Their mascot is a chunky pit bull named Ransom who lounges on a dog bed by the van and waddles around to be petted.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2022
As I say his name, the opossum waddles out from under the hulking metal box on the vines.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Play, a four-year-old French bulldog, waddled down the street in Noho.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
A flock of brown pelicans waddled back into the wild on Wednesday morning, survivors of Southern California’s latest toxic algal bloom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
Her caption in the now-deleted post read: "My dream of holding a wombat has been realised! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025
Jennifer Jackson, nanny to 21-month-old Wade Bracht, kept a careful eye on the toddler, who waddled in his stylish brown cowboy boots, exploring every corner of the play area.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
Keeping his eye on the net, Gandy honked his disgust and waddled over to one side as if he didn’t care to have a thing to do with me.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
It consists not only of college students booing AI and waddling seniors raging on Facebook against data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"He's waddling around the field like a grandad, that's why Portugal are out," the former England striker said.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Now, HBO’s “The Penguin,” fleshing out the origin story of the waddling, tuxedo-clad “gentleman mobster” after more than 80 years as one of the Caped Crusader’s best-known adversaries, has earned a staggering 24 Emmy nominations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Mr. Hart said after a heartfelt tribute from his friend the comedian Dave Chappelle, before waddling offstage at the John Kennedy F. Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
As I’m digging through my bag, looking for my keys, I notice Millie Michalchuk waddling down the sidewalk and through the parking lot.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
