wriggle
[ rig-uhl ]
/ ˈrɪg əl /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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, adverboutwriggle, verb (used with object), out·wrig·gled, out·wrig·gling.un·wrig·gled, adjectiveWords nearby wriggle
wretched, Wrexham, wrick, wrier, wriest, wriggle, wriggler, wrigglework, wriggly, wright, Wright brothers
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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