wobble
Americanverb (used without object)
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to incline to one side and to the other alternately, as a wheel, top, or other rotating body when not properly balanced.
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to move unsteadily from side to side.
The table wobbled on its uneven legs.
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to show unsteadiness; tremble; quaver.
His voice wobbled.
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to vacillate; waver.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to move, rock, or sway unsteadily
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(intr) to tremble or shake
her voice wobbled with emotion
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(intr) to vacillate with indecision
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(tr) to cause to wobble
noun
Other Word Forms
- wobbler noun
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
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.
"Probably on reflection I could have used swing more to set up the wobble seam, which might have just gone straight on rather than nipping," Potts says.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
Banks’ exposure to private credit caused stocks to wobble in February.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Lense-Thirring precession is not the only process that could cause a disk to wobble.
From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026
“If alliances wobble, we control our own pipes,” he believes is the continent’s thinking.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 2, 2026
She watched her tower wobble more and more and more and more!
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
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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.