wobble
Americanverb (used without object)
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to incline to one side and to the other alternately, as a wheel, top, or other rotating body when not properly balanced.
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to move unsteadily from side to side.
The table wobbled on its uneven legs.
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to show unsteadiness; tremble; quaver.
His voice wobbled.
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to vacillate; waver.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to move, rock, or sway unsteadily
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(intr) to tremble or shake
her voice wobbled with emotion
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(intr) to vacillate with indecision
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(tr) to cause to wobble
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wobble
1650–60; < Low German wabbeln; akin to Old Norse vafla to toddle, Middle High German wabelen to waver, Old English wæflian to speak incoherently
Explanation
When things wobble, they teeter or rock unsteadily back and forth. A brand new bike rider is bound to wobble a little bit when she's pedaling down the street. A cafe table might wobble annoyingly until you prop up one leg with folded paper. And, when you first step off an amusement park ride, your legs might wobble for a while. Your voice can wobble too, or tremble, especially when you're upset or nervous. People wobble figuratively too: "When politicians wobble on important issues, it's hard to trust them."
Vocabulary lists containing wobble
Lesson 1
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 9
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Night Owls
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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.
English singer Jah Wobble told the BBC the singer and activist had had "the essence of a Celtic female warrior".
From BBC • Jul. 27, 2023
Fiiller uses interviews with Lydon and several of his bandmates, including Keith Levene and Jah Wobble, to tell the story of PiL.
From Salon • Sep. 15, 2018
There’s a sequence in Wobble Palace where Eugene is Tinder messaging with a match, and he spirals into a neurotic frenzy when the woman he’s chatting with doesn’t respond quickly enough.
From The Verge • Mar. 13, 2018
He worked often with the bassist Jah Wobble, of Public Image Ltd, and Mr. Eno, on whose albums he sometimes played bass.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2017
Nana joins in, doing a shoulder shimmy that’s not the Wobble, but I doubt she cares.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Definitions 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.
