jiggle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jigglesimple
-
jigglessimple
-
have jiggledperfect
-
has jiggledperfect
-
am jigglingprogressive
-
are jigglingprogressive
-
is jigglingprogressive
-
have been jigglingperfect progressive
-
has been jigglingperfect progressive
Past
-
jiggledsimple
-
had jiggledperfect
-
was jigglingprogressive
-
were jigglingprogressive
-
had been jigglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jiggle
Explanation
To jiggle is to move very quickly back and forth or up and down. If you ride in a car over bumpy roads holding a bowl of Jello on your lap, you can watch it jiggle until you reach your destination. You might feel your body jiggle when you ride on a galloping horse, and you can also jiggle something, like when you accidentally jiggle a chess board and send the pieces flying. The action of moving in this way is a jiggle. Jiggle comes from jig, "lively dance," and is probably an alteration of the earlier joggle, "move with jerks or small bobs."
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:
In an AI era when attackers can jiggle every virtual doorknob continuously, human defenders don’t stand a chance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
I’ve spent entire evenings Googling ranch dressing varietals, decoding the semiotics of suburban chain restaurant menus, pondering the subtle thrill of foods that jiggle.
From Salon ● May 26, 2025
Some attendees’ legs jiggle dramatically as they adjust to the board’s movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
When atoms in a lattice jiggle together, the collective excitation is known as a phonon.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2023
That thing in my brain started to jiggle loose a little bit more.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
“We love you so much my sweet jiggles and we are praying with all we’ve got,” “Drag Race” staple Michelle Visage commented.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025
If you tweak one, the rest jiggles for a while and then comes back to where it was.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
Noise often jiggles the underlying data, but the topology remains the same—revealing robust features of the system.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 26, 2022
In this case, the “something else” the Mandalorian accepts is Calamari Flan, which is an absolutely insane name for a currency, especially one used by squid people, especially one that jiggles when you touch it.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2019
I’m not, although my head jiggles and jerks with the motion of the train.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Kylie Jenner kept rubbing and patting Chalamet’s hand while he nervously jiggled his right leg.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
"There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wriggled, and jiggled and tickled inside her..."
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2023
She beamed even brighter and — why not, with so much time on her hands? — jiggled her tambourine.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2022
He jiggled the door handle to an office that he believed belonged to Pelosi, but it was locked.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2022
He jiggled his drink, as if to reset himself.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
It is a difficult and intricate process where laser light is shone at the atoms to stop them jiggling about so much.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2024
Which is why there’s so much debate about whether Ralph Yarl was jiggling the knob or whatever.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2023
“Nonresidents are walking up and down the hallways jiggling their doors trying to get in,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
The feathered and fidgety duo settled into their new pens, their vibrant red wattles jiggling with every step, a stark contrast to their icy pale faces.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2022
Gogol sits impatiendy, one long leg jiggling up and down.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
