jiggle

American  

[jig-uhl] / ˈdʒɪg əl /

verb (used with or without object)

jiggled, jiggling

1. to move up and down or to and fro with short, quick jerks.

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noun

1. a jiggling movement.

jiggle British  

/ ˈdʒɪɡəl /

verb

1. to move or cause to move up and down or to and fro with a short jerky motion

   to jiggle the door handle

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noun

1. a short jerky motion

Other Word Forms

• jiggler
  noun
• jiggly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of jiggle

First recorded in 1835–40; jig ² + -le

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

"It's this superconducting gel that we're sort of seeing jiggle," von Hoegen says.

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

What matters is how fast we deploy digital defenders to jiggle those doorknobs—and tighten them—beforehand.

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 I sit down at the table, I stuff my toe under the table leg to make sure it doesn’t jiggle too much.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Related Words

• fidget
• shimmy
• twitch
• wiggle