squiggle

American  

[skwig-uhl] / ˈskwɪg əl /

noun

1. a short, irregular curve or twist, as in writing or drawing.

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verb (used without object)

squiggled, squiggling

1. to move in or appear as squiggles.

   His handwriting squiggled across the page.

verb (used with object)

squiggled, squiggling

1. to form in or cause to appear as squiggles; scribble.

squiggle British  

/ ˈskwɪɡəl /

noun

1. a mark or movement in the form of a wavy line; curlicue

2. an illegible scrawl

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verb

1. (intr) to wriggle

2. (intr) to form or draw squiggles

3. (tr) to make into squiggles

Other Word Forms

• squiggler noun
• squiggly adjective

Etymology

Origin of squiggle

First recorded in 1830–40; blend of squirm and wriggle

Example Sentences

The off-white form of the rustic terracotta jar, shattered over millenniums and fastidiously reassembled, is elegantly decorated in rich brown and black designs, including bursts of rosettes and abstract squiggles.

From Los Angeles Times

In this script, the lines of good and evil aren’t drawn in black and white or even gray — they’re a tangle of squiggles.

From Los Angeles Times

His figures, drawn in thin, nervous squiggles, stood out starkly against a plain background.

From Los Angeles Times

The genus name uncus means “hook” in Latin, after the fishhooklike squiggles on the rock left by the fossils.

From Science Magazine

"That's what happened here. We had all sort of noticed this fishhook squiggle on the rock. It was pretty prominent because it was really, really deep."

From Science Daily