wriggle
[ rig-uh l ]
/ ˈrɪg əl /
verb (used without object), wrig·gled, wrig·gling.
to twist to and fro; writhe; squirm.
to move along by twisting and turning the body, as a worm or snake.
to make one's way by shifts or expedients (often followed by out): to wriggle out of a difficulty.
verb (used with object), wrig·gled, wrig·gling.
to cause to wriggle: to wriggle one's hips.
to bring, get, make, etc., by wriggling: to wriggle one's way through a narrow opening.
noun
act of wriggling; a wriggling movement.
Words nearby wriggle
wretched, wrexham, wrick, wrier, wriest, wriggle, wriggler, wrigglework, wriggly, wright, wright brothers
Origin of wriggle
1485–95; < Middle Low German wriggelen (cognate with Dutch wriggelen), frequentative of *wriggen to twist, turn, akin to Old English wrīgian to twist; see wry
OTHER WORDS FROM wriggle
wrig·gling·ly, adverbout·wrig·gle, verb (used with object), out·wrig·gled, out·wrig·gling.un·wrig·gled, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for wriggle
British Dictionary definitions for wriggle
wriggle
/ (ˈrɪɡəl) /
verb
to make or cause to make twisting movements
(intr) to progress by twisting and turning
(intr; foll by into or out of) to manoeuvre oneself by clever or devious meanswriggle out of an embarrassing situation
noun
a wriggling movement or action
a sinuous marking or course
Derived forms of wriggle
wriggler, nounwriggly, adjectiveWord Origin for wriggle
C15: from Middle Low German; compare Dutch wriggelen
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