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Definition of "wriggle" []

  • To turn or twist the body with sinuous writhing motions; squirm. (verb-intransitive)
  • To proceed with writhing motions. (verb-intransitive)
  • To worm one's way into or out of a situation; insinuate or extricate oneself by sly or subtle means. (verb-intransitive)
  • To move with a wriggling motion: wriggle a toe. (verb-transitive)
  • To make (one's way, for example) by or as if by wriggling: He wriggled his way into favor. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "wriggle" in a sentence
  • "Did even a phony like Randall Terry "wriggle" into the spotlight recently when he exploited the hapless Schiavo family?"
  • "Perhaps there are moments when the man has remembered his childish language, betrayed by his fondness for such words as 'wriggle', 'slither' and 'squish'."
  • "Miss Bartlett gave a kind of wriggle, and he prepared for a discussion."