Meaning & use
wiggled
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“wiggled” is a form of “wiggle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Moved with small quick movements from side to side or up and down, usually without leaving the spot.
Grammar: Needs no object: the puppy wiggled.
Patterns
- wiggle around
- wiggle with something
The baby wiggled with delight in the bath.
The worm wiggled across the path.
She wiggled in her seat during the long speech.
verbtransitive
Made a part of the body or an object move in short quick movements.
Grammar: Takes an object: she wiggled her toes.
Patterns
- wiggle your toes
- wiggle something free
He wiggled his loose tooth with his tongue.
She wiggled her toes in the warm sand.
I wiggled the key until the lock turned.
verbintransitiveinformal
Escaped or got through a tight space by twisting the body.
Grammar: Often followed by a direction word: wiggled out of the jacket.
Patterns
- wiggle out of something
- wiggle through something
The cat wiggled through the gap in the fence.
He wiggled out of the tight jeans.
She wiggled out of the extra work by saying she was busy.
Word forms
| base form | wiggle |
|---|---|
| third person singular | wiggles |
| present participle | wiggling |
Common combinations
- wiggled free
- The fish wiggled free from the net.
- wiggled her toes
- She wiggled her toes in the sand.
- wiggled out of
- He wiggled out of the tight sleeve.
- wiggled loose
- The nail wiggled loose after a few tugs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wriggled
- Wriggled suggests more twisting and struggling, while wiggled is lighter and often playful.
- squirmed
- Squirmed implies discomfort or embarrassment, which wiggled does not.
- jiggled
- Jiggled means shaken lightly and quickly, often by something else, rather than a self-driven wiggle.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wiggled or wriggled?
wiggled vs wriggled
Wriggled has an extra r and suggests twisting like a worm, while wiggled is smaller and lighter.
Practice
The puppy ___ happily when its owner came home.
Choose one answer.
Wiggled describes small quick movements of excitement. Wandered up would mean it walked over, not that its body wiggled.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wiggled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.