jiggle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have jiggledperfect
-
has jiggledperfect 3rd person singular
-
is jigglingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
are jigglingprogressive
-
have been jigglingperfect progressive
-
has been jigglingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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jigglingparticiple
-
jigglessingular 3rd person
-
am jigglingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
-
had jiggledperfect
-
had been jigglingperfect progressive
-
jiggledparticiple
-
jiggledsimple
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was jigglingprogressive singular
-
were jigglingprogressive plural
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.
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
One could be to vibrate the oxygen-making machine device, which might jiggle the bubbles free.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025
The Lego conceit proves an ideal format for visually embodying these tunes, as bouncing abstract creations spring and jiggle to musical life.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2024
When atoms in a lattice jiggle together, the collective excitation is known as a phonon.
From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2023
I watched them separate, each from the other, and jiggle up and down in a silly way.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
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.
