as in to flap
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions
the rabbit waggled its ears and hopped away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of waggle
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
One part of this process – the famous waggle dance – was discovered decades ago.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2011
David A. Rose, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2024
And Adem Bona was a whirling dervish of a double-double, dropping in an and-one layup as the Trojans tried to chip away into a second-half lead, slapping his bicep and waggling his tongue and visibly sucking the life out of Galen.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Noun
The silence of the forest might be interrupted with a siren salute from a passing law enforcement helicopter, or a wing waggle from firefighting aircraft passing en route to a fire.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
One part of this process – the famous waggle dance – was discovered decades ago.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2011
Verb
This part of the design also imparts a nice waggling action via its thin paddle tail.
—David A. Rose, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2024
And Adem Bona was a whirling dervish of a double-double, dropping in an and-one layup as the Trojans tried to chip away into a second-half lead, slapping his bicep and waggling his tongue and visibly sucking the life out of Galen.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggle
Noun
-
Starship Block 2 also debuts smaller forward flaps to give the hardware another layer of protection from the scorching heat of reentry.—
Stephen Clark,
Ars Technica,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Starship's flaps, computers and fuel system were redesigned in preparation for the next big step: returning the spacecraft to the launch site just like the booster.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, he’s picked up a thick binder and is flicking through it.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The wheel itself has a couple of simple scroll wheels for adjusting media volume and flicking through the menus of the driver display, and there’s a rotating dial for switching between drive modes.—
Alistair Charlton,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
But come on, don’t take the wag out of the puppy’s tail.—
Troy Renck,
The Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Owners might also see a tail wag or soft eyes associated with the nose-booping.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In the footage, the faceless android is seen suspended from the ceiling, its limbs twitching and moving in an unsettlingly human-like manner.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Something similar happened to Lindon’s recreation of a Picasso painting: His hand twitched, tearing the work to pieces.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
What will get lost, at least for some, is that Pearl was talking about the key to Auburn’s 3-point defense — the bigs can switch out and move their feet against perimeter players, and the guards are tough enough to handle those switches inside.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
-
With the switch, the five years’ worth of orders under NSSF Phase 2 have ULA with 25 missions ordered to SpaceX’s 23 missions, for what was originally targeted to be a 60% to 40% order ration in favor of ULA.—
Richard Tribou,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Brianna seems to swing between two moods: intense enthusiasm, intense repugnance.—
Joyce Carol Oates,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Wilmore swung open the space station’s hatch and then rang the ship’s bell as the new arrivals floated in one by one and were greeted with hugs and handshakes.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
If a detector shows a star wiggling back and forth, and if these wiggles occur with regularity, the signal is a good indication that there is a planet in orbit, tugging on its host.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Dec. 2011
-
As the weighted end of the rig skips across the bottom, the non-weighted end floats and wiggles just above the bottom, simulating a dying baitfish or fleeing crayfish.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Toppin scored 34 points and swished 7 of 10 3-pointers, including his game winner from distance to help Indiana snap the Wolves’ eight-game winning streak.—
Zach Powell,
The Athletic,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Steph Curry, down 17 as Orlando shot the lights out, took a dribble and launched a heave from beyond halfcourt, swishing in a miracle at the end of the first half.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share