wriggle

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“
Than they give a little wriggle, and he upsets himself.

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Definitions (18)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. intransitive verb To turn or twist the body with sinuous writhing motions; squirm.
  2. intransitive verb To proceed with writhing motions.
  3. intransitive verb To worm one's way into or out of a situation; insinuate or extricate oneself by sly or subtle means.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (5)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (4)

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Examples (50)

  • With a delighted wriggle, the Fssireeme vanished into her hair. —  Ann Maxwell - Fire Dancer 2 - Dancer's Luck (v1.0)
  • He forced his way through the standees and with a wriggle was off on the other side. —  GALAXY
  • The visible sky was but a bright wriggle, and the days and nights pulsed so fast that the worm of sky was a steady dim glow. —  Asimov'sSF,August2007
  • The idea of making a chair so comfortable that you never need to move or wriggle is a dangerous one. —  Simple Talk rss feed
  • "The machine can be programmed to run with various other facial expressions, such as a wriggle of the nose or a smile."
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

frig ·  writhe ·  throe ·  heave ·  bellow ·  wreathe ·  twitch ·  shove ·  fidget

Used in the same contextWord Family

wriggle:   wriggled ·  wriggling
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English wrigglen, perhaps from Middle Low German wriggeln; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also wrigle, riggle; from Dutch wriggelen = Low German wriggeln; freq. of the verb represented by wrig, wrick.
  2. from wriggle, v.
 

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/ˈrɪgl/
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