waggle

American  

[wag-uhl] / ˈwæg əl /

verb (used without object)

waggled, waggling

1. to wobble or shake, especially while in motion.

   The ball waggled slowly to a stop. The leaves of the tree waggled in the wind.

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verb (used with object)

waggled, waggling

1. to move up and down or from side to side in a short, rapid manner; wag.

   to waggle one's head.

2. Golf. to make a waggle with (a golf club).

noun

1. a waggling motion.

2. Golf. a swinging movement made with a golf club to and fro over the ball prior to a stroke.

waggle British  

/ ˈwæɡəl /

verb

1. to move or cause to move with a rapid shaking or wobbling motion

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noun

1. a rapid shaking or wobbling motion

Other Word Forms

• wagglingly
  adverb
• waggly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of waggle

First recorded in 1585–95; wag + -le

Explanation

To move back and forth or up and down very quickly (and a little erratically) is to waggle. I don't recommend that you waggle your arm under your teacher's face to get his attention. Try raising your hand politely instead. This word sounds like a cross between wiggle and wag. Just watch a really excited dog's tail moving and you'll get a sense of waggle's origin — it does derive from wag and its Old English root wagian, "move backwards and forwards." In golf, you waggle a club by swinging it around a bit before hitting the ball. And beekeepers describe the "waggle dance" honeybees perform to communicate information to each other.

Example Sentences

Scientists have spent years decoding the honey bee "waggle dance," a highly sophisticated form of communication.

From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026

Every day, new people came, some people left, but the constant was Syd, his presence, his waggle, his ability to give unexpected joy.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2025

He added: "He had a super swing - a no-nonsense swing. One waggle and away it went."

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2025

Insects are known to be capable of social learning in the wild: the best-known example is the so-called waggle dance used by honeybees to communicate the location and quality of flowers.

From Scientific American • Mar. 7, 2023

“Nuh, and I repeat, uh,” Door said, with a head waggle.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste