wriggle

[rig-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wriggle ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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

Related formswrig·gling·ly, adverbout·wrig·gle, verb (used with object), out·wrig·gled, out·wrig·gling.un·wrig·gled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for wriggle

squirm, crawl, sneak, zigzag, dodge, glide, jerk, wag, convulse, skew, writhe, jiggle, twist, turn, ooze, slip, waggle, twitch, slink, snake

Examples from the Web for wriggle

Contemporary Examples of wriggle

Like Nadler, Cohen—who is also Jewish—substituted “Jewish” for “gay” and watched Riggle wriggle.
Right-Wing Activists: Yep, ‘Religious Freedom’ Protects Discrimination Against Jews
Jay Michaelson
June 14, 2014
The question is whether Netanyahu believes that he can wriggle his way out of serious peace negotiations once again.
Bibi In A Corner On Peace Process?
Carlo Strenger
February 8, 2013
To wriggle your way into private sessions with top industry execs?
Meeting Merkel, Schmoozing With Charlize: 10 Things You Need to Know About the World Economic Forum in Davos
Winston Ross
January 22, 2013
And most of us felt compelled to find a witty repartee while trying to wriggle out of his clutches.
The DSK Case: Flirting, Groping, and Rape
Nina Sutton
May 24, 2011
Once again, the Iranians made an apparent nuclear deal with the West, only to wriggle away at the eleventh hour yesterday.
Iran's Shell Game
Michael Adler
October 23, 2009

Historical Examples of wriggle

There it stood quite still, except that the snakes continued to wriggle.
The Miraculous Pitcher
Nathaniel Hawthorne
But being small Pee-wee was able to wriggle out of almost anything.
Pee-wee Harris
Percy Keese Fitzhugh
Tamils old and young move when they laugh or even smile; in fact they wriggle.
Lotus Buds
Amy Carmichael
Then he allowed it to wriggle about until in time its head faced the Englishmen.
The Fiery Totem
Argyll Saxby
You have to lie flat on your stomach, and wriggle about as if you were swimming.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 2, 1914
Various

British Dictionary definitions for wriggle

wriggle

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 Formswriggler, nounwriggly, adjective

Word 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

Word Origin and History for wriggle

late 15c., from Middle Low German wrigglen "to wriggle," from Proto-Germanic *wrig-, *wreik- "to turn" (see wry). Related to Old English wrigian "to turn, incline, go forward."