wobble
Americanverb (used without object)
-
wobbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wobbled,
past participle, past
-
wobbling
present participle
-
to incline to one side and to the other alternately, as a wheel, top, or other rotating body when not properly balanced.
-
to move unsteadily from side to side.
The table wobbled on its uneven legs.
-
to show unsteadiness; tremble; quaver.
His voice wobbled.
-
to vacillate; waver.
verb (used with object)
-
wobbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wobbled,
past participle, past
-
wobbling
present participle
noun
-
wobbles
plural
verb
-
(intr) to move, rock, or sway unsteadily
-
(intr) to tremble or shake
her voice wobbled with emotion
-
(intr) to vacillate with indecision
-
(tr) to cause to wobble
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wobblesimple
-
wobblessimple
-
have wobbledperfect
-
has wobbledperfect
-
am wobblingprogressive
-
are wobblingprogressive
-
is wobblingprogressive
-
have been wobblingperfect progressive
-
has been wobblingperfect progressive
Past
-
wobbledsimple
-
had wobbledperfect
-
was wobblingprogressive
-
were wobblingprogressive
-
had been wobblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wobble
1650–60; < Low German wabbeln; akin to Old Norse vafla to toddle, Middle High German wabelen to waver, Old English wæflian to speak incoherently
Explanation
When things wobble, they teeter or rock unsteadily back and forth. A brand new bike rider is bound to wobble a little bit when she's pedaling down the street. A cafe table might wobble annoyingly until you prop up one leg with folded paper. And, when you first step off an amusement park ride, your legs might wobble for a while. Your voice can wobble too, or tremble, especially when you're upset or nervous. People wobble figuratively too: "When politicians wobble on important issues, it's hard to trust them."
Vocabulary lists containing wobble
Lesson 1
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 9
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Night Owls
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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:
I close my eyes and, suddenly, my legs wobble and my ankles quiver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Is this growing pains or the wobble before the fall?
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
One cabinet minister worries he might wobble when things get tough.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The four systems attracted attention because their visible stars showed a pronounced radial wobble.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Thatha's lips wobble again, but Patti says yes, and she gives me a shiny new plastic comb and a toothbrush with a bright green handle.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
When the national mood wobbles, we turn to the arts, which have the power to free buried desires, soothe souls and cross divides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
The upcoming SpaceX IPO is currently creating wobbles for other equities, Thomas Lee, managing partner and head of research at the New York-based boutique firm, wrote in a note on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
Blindsides are mainstays in films like this, just as in life, and tend to be followed by emotional fractures or wobbles of faith.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
And despite the wobbles this season, Arteta has been proven right.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
“Oscar,” Noah repeats, then wobbles to a sitting position and points at me, saying, “He didn’t save my life and it doesn’t matter how high it is.”
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
The trade wobbled briefly this March following the onset of hostilities in the Middle East and went back into overdrive the past several weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
After rising 160% in 2026, with most of those gains happening over the past month or so, the stock has wobbled a bit in recent days.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
Webster-Longin also wobbled on her dismount and her 9.5875 had to count.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Oil prices wobbled on Friday ahead of talks between the U.S. and Iran due to take place over the weekend loom.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
We wobbled to a point where the large rocks held a tide pool.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
If a wobbling stock market were to threaten companies like OpenAI, Wallerstein said he believes the federal government could ride to the rescue.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Like the large so-called moon jar that opens the exhibition, these capacious bowls glazed in eggshell white flaunt their foibles with wobbling edges that give character to otherwise pure forms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Trucks wobbling under piles of amber-colored globules would make the twice-daily trek from Al-Nahud, a town 120 miles west of Obeid and an agricultural hub for the most prized variety of gum arabic, Hashab.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Momentum swung again in the third when a Wardley overhand right sent Dubois wobbling.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
Today Deirdre is alone, knees wobbling, and crying because, as much as she wants to believe in better days, her job prevents her from doing so.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
