Meanings
present singular third person wiggles · participle present wiggling · participle past wiggled · past wiggled
- ambitransitiveTo move with irregular, back and forward or side to side motions; to shake or jiggle.
Her hips wiggle as she walks.
3 more examples
The jelly wiggles on the plate when you move it.
I'll make ya bump, hump, wiggle and shake your rump
1992, “Jump”, performed by Kris Kross"These modern dances!" he grunted, grabbing his smokes. "They don't do nothing but teach the kids how to bump n wiggle."
2012, Stephen King, 11/22/63, page 788 - intransitiveTo move with shaking or jiggling.
She wiggled out through the small opening in the wall.
plural wiggles
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA rapid movement in alternating opposite directions, not necessarily regular.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Low Germanwigelen
- Middle Dutchwigelen“to wiggle”
- Middle Englishwiglen
- Englishwiggle
From Middle English wiglen, probably from Middle Dutch wigelen (“to wiggle”) and perhaps Middle Low German wigelen, frequentative of wiegen (“to rock”), from wiege (“cradle”). See wain, and Dutch wieg (“cradle”). Cognate to Dutch wiggelen (“to wiggle”), Low German wiggeln (“to wiggle”).
More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian мърдам, шавам
- мърдам (mărdam)to move with irregular motions
- шавам (šavam)to move with irregular motions
- въртя се (vărtja se)to move with irregular motions
Danish vrikke, vrikken
- vrikketo move with irregular motions
- vrikkenwiggling movement
Dutch wiebelen
- wiebelento move with irregular motions
Esperanto svingeti
- svingetito move with irregular motions
Finnish tytistä, hytistä
- tytistäto move with irregular motions
- hytistäto move with irregular motions
- tutistato move with irregular motions
- hytkyäto move with irregular motions
- hyllyäto move with irregular motions
- hytisyttääto move with irregular motions
- tutisuttaato move with irregular motions
- hytkyttääto move with irregular motions
- tutinawiggling movement
- hytinäwiggling movement
- hytkewiggling movement
French frétiller, se tortiller
- frétillerto move with irregular motions
- se tortillerto move with irregular motions
German schlängeln, schwänzeln
- schlängelnto move with irregular motions
- schwänzelnto move with irregular motions
- wackelnto move with irregular motions
- hin und her wackelnto move with irregular motions
Hungarian ficánkol, ring
- ficánkolto move with irregular motions
- ringto move with irregular motions
- ringatózikto move with irregular motions
- hullámzikto move with irregular motions
- riszálto move with irregular motions
- csóválto move with irregular motions
- mozgatto move with irregular motions
- ringatto move with irregular motions
Māori pīonioni
- pīonionito move with irregular motions
Norwegian vrikke, vrikk
- vrikketo move with irregular motions
- vrikkwiggling movement
Portuguese rebolar, sacolejar
- rebolarto move with irregular motions
- sacolejarto move with irregular motions
- reboladowiggling movement
Russian покачивать, раскачиваться
- покачивать (pokačivatʹ)to move with irregular motions
- раскачиваться (raskačivatʹsja)to move with irregular motions
- покачивание (pokačivanije)wiggling movement
Spanish menear, contonear
- menearto move with irregular motions
- contonearto move with irregular motions
Swedish vicka
- vickato move with irregular motions
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wiggle
All rhymes →Cite this entry
wiggle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wiggle
“wiggle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wiggle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wiggle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wiggle.
Source: wiggle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.