jiggle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
jiggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jiggled,
past participle, past
-
jiggling
present participle
noun
-
jiggles
plural
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:
Should such a particle knock into one of the helium-3 atoms, it would make them all jiggle.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 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
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
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
He tries the doorknob and I watch it jiggle, feeling my heart whapping against my ribs.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
He fidgets with a pair of eyeglasses and points a knobby index finger to underscore a point, jiggles his leg restlessly and, at one point, mimes playing guitar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
“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
As your brain jiggles and twists, neurons—the long, cordlike cells that transmit signals in the brain—stretch and fray.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2024
Noise often jiggles the underlying data, but the topology remains the same—revealing robust features of the system.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 26, 2022
He jiggles the ice around in his glass.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
"There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wriggled, and jiggled and tickled inside her..."
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2023
He jiggled the door handle to an office that he believed belonged to Pelosi, but it was locked.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2022
In a little, wood-paneled room above the pier’s carousel, Jim Harris jiggled a pair of red dice in a loose fist and opened it onto his desk.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2021
Tran pressed his face against the windows to peer inside and jiggled a door handle to see if it would open.
From Washington Post ● May 14, 2021
She jiggled him on her hip and stared straight ahead.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
She looks toward the ceiling, jiggling her head slightly, as though she’s doing some mental math regarding the track list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
Common triggers were leg, hand or foot movements - jiggling thighs, twitchy fingers and shuffling shoes.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
Others joined in: jiggling, dancing and waving to police officers parked nearby.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2023
Which is why there’s so much debate about whether Ralph Yarl was jiggling the knob or whatever.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2023
His leg stops jiggling, and he draws in a deep pleading breath.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
