waddle

[ wod-l ]

/ ˈwɒd l /

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verb (used without object), wad·dled, wad·dling.

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

an act or instance of waddling, especially a waddling gait.

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Origin of waddle

1350–1400; Middle English; see wade, -le; compare German watteln

OTHER WORDS FROM waddle

waddler, nounwad·dling·ly, adverbwaddly, adjectiveun·wad·dling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use waddle in a sentence

The next day “I marched in—or more like waddled in—to see Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in their office.”
The Chief Problem With 'Lean In'|David Frum|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He waddled when he walked, books under arm and sheets of paper in hand–a happily disheveled image that made me grin.
Iraq War 10th Anniversary: What Does Fiasco Mean?|John Kael Weston|March 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One surprise: the English bulldog finally waddled into the top five, a ranking it had not received in 75 years.
How the English Bulldog Lost Westminster But Conquered America|Keli Goff|February 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
All her years she had squatted and waddled there upon the island, gathering legends of the Baratarians and the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

Scattergood picked him up, tucked him under a huge arm, and waddled through the great man's door.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
Little Duckie and his real mother and father came out of the water and waddled off towards the barn.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
He swung around forthwith in the trail and went after her—whereat she waddled faster through the snow like a frightened duck.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
As they waddled closer they puffed under the weight of heavy belts sagging with rows of odd, translucent instruments.
Restricted Tool|Malcolm B. Morehart

British Dictionary definitions for waddle

waddle

/ (ˈwɒdəl) /

verb (intr)

to walk with short steps, rocking slightly from side to side

noun

a swaying gait or motion

Derived forms of waddle

waddler, nounwaddling, adjectivewaddly, adjective

Word Origin for waddle

C16: probably frequentative of wade

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

waddle

Origin of waddle

OTHER WORDS FROM waddle

Words related to waddle

How to use waddle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for waddle

Derived forms of waddle

Word Origin for waddle