waddle

[ wod-l ]

/ ˈwɒd l /

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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without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

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Words nearby waddle

wadai, waddenzee, waddesdon manor, wadding, waddington, waddle, waddy, wade, wade in, wade-giles system, wader

Origin of waddle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM waddle

wad·dler, nounwad·dling·ly, adverbwad·dly, adjectiveun·wad·dling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for waddled

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
As soon as the landing was effected Buster waddled clumsily ashore.
Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube|Louis Arundel
As they waddled closer they puffed under the weight of heavy belts sagging with rows of odd, translucent instruments.
Restricted Tool|Malcolm B. Morehart

When the train pulled out, the old contractor slid off the express truck and waddled over to his automobile.
The Pride of Palomar|Peter B. Kyne
Then she faced about and waddled over to the tree, up which were the cubs.
Wild Animals at Home|Ernest Thompson Seton
Whereat she waddled to the table to wait for the hot cakes to arrive.
The Gorgeous Girl|Nalbro Bartley

British Dictionary definitions for waddled

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