waddle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
waddles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
waddled,
past participle, past
-
waddling
present participle
-
to walk with short steps, swaying or rocking from side to side, as a duck.
-
to move in any similar, slow, rocking manner; wobble.
The ship waddled into port.
noun
-
waddles
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
waddlesimple
-
waddlessimple
-
have waddledperfect
-
has waddledperfect
-
am waddlingprogressive
-
are waddlingprogressive
-
is waddlingprogressive
-
have been waddlingperfect progressive
-
has been waddlingperfect progressive
Past
-
waddledsimple
-
had waddledperfect
-
was waddlingprogressive
-
were waddlingprogressive
-
had been waddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of waddle
1350–1400; Middle English; see wade, -le; compare German watteln
Explanation
A duck's walk is a waddle. To imitate it, turn your feet away from each other and take short clumsy steps that make you swing unsteadily from side to side. Ducks aren't the only animals known to waddle. Penguins with their little tiny feet may waddle along the ice, though they move gracefully through the water. If your footing is unsteady, you might waddle a little too as you tread carefully. Don't confuse waddle with wattle. A wattle is the red bit of flesh that hangs from the necks of turkeys and chickens. Wattles waddle back and forth as birds waddle along.
Vocabulary lists containing waddle
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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25 Ways of Walking
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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:
Hundreds of thousands of tourists a year flock to viewing areas and boardwalks to watch the diminutive sea birds waddle ashore and along the beach in the evenings on the eastern coast's Phillip Island.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
It couldn’t waddle or sway without components from Chinese robot maker Unitree that power the motion of its neck and legs, according to a research paper by Disney.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
That part of the leg, they say, is where fibular reduction among some dinosaurs tens of millions of years ago helped make it possible for peacocks to strut, penguins to waddle, and turkeys to trot.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024
He is often drawn to physically resemble a penguin, dressed in a formal suit with a long birdlike nose, shuffling with a bit of a waddle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2024
My enthusiasm plummeted when he failed to trot, waddle, or even slink down the hall.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
In fact, the accusatory Atlantic piece waddles toward the conclusion that on a risk-adjusted basis, the train isn’t especially deadly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
One penguin waddles ashore, perhaps after successfully finding a meal in the frigid — but warming — ocean waters off the continent’s tip.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 10, 2023
Long after the Lakers locker room has cleared out, the smallest player on the team waddles toward his locker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
When E.T. waddles into the kids’ lives, his supernatural abilities are like an extension of their vivid imaginations.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2022
She waddles over to the knotty base of the tree and sits.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
Play, a four-year-old French bulldog, waddled down the street in Noho.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
A flock of brown pelicans waddled back into the wild on Wednesday morning, survivors of Southern California’s latest toxic algal bloom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
Her caption in the now-deleted post read: "My dream of holding a wombat has been realised! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025
Holding her 8-month-old as she waddled a few steps, Mercedes Andrews, 27, said she came to Ttáwaxt after attending classes at another birth center in the Tri-Cities area.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2023
Then she hauled herself out of her chair and waddled to the door and gently took Mr. McGinity by the elbow.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
What it picked up was a rotund raccoon waddling by.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Mr. Hart said after a heartfelt tribute from his friend the comedian Dave Chappelle, before waddling offstage at the John Kennedy F. Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
But in the new version, the scene opens on a pregnant female waddling off to give birth with the assistance of another, older female.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2023
There were men in “I Believe” hoodies waddling around the famed Circle K gas station near campus past 3 a.m., trying to figure out a ride far away from Pearl Street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023
Aunt Sponge, fat and pulpy as a jellyfish, came waddling up behind her sister to see what was going on.
From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
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