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.
Nearby words
wretchedly, 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
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
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 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
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Word Origin and History for wriggle
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."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper