Wriggle

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪɡəl

Origin

Related to Old English wrigian ("to turn").

Full definition of wriggle

Verb

1. (intransitive) To twist one's body to and fro with short, writhing motions; to squirm.Teachers often lose their patience when children wriggle in their seats.
• Jonathan SwiftBoth he and successors would often wriggle in their seats, as long as the cushion lasted.
• 1972, Carlos Castañeda, The teachings of Don Juan: a Yaqui way of knowledge, I tried to ease my grip, but my hands were sweating so profusely that the lizards began to wriggle out of them.
2. (transitive) To cause to or make something wriggle.He was sitting on the lawn, wriggling his toes in the grass.

Derived terms

• wriggler
• wriggly

Noun

1. A wriggling movement.

Anagrams

• wiggler