wobble

plural wobbles · alternative archaic wabble

1. An unsteady motion.

   The fat man walked down the street with a wobble.

   1 more example

   That should have been that, but Hart caught a dose of the Hennessey wobbles and spilled Adlene Guedioura's long-range shot.

   2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport

   Synonyms: jiggle, quiver, shake, tremble

2. A tremulous sound.

   There was a wobble on her high notes.

   Synonyms: quaver, tremble, tremolo, vibrato

3. entertainmentA low-frequency oscillation sometimes used in dubstep.

   “I Knew You Were Trouble,” one of the year’s great pop songs, begins like a sock-hop anthem, with jaunty guitars. A dubstep wobble arrives about halfway through like a wrecking ball, changing the course not just of the song but also of Ms. Swift’s career.

   2012 October 24, Jon Caramanica, “No More Kid Stuff for Taylor Swift”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

4. biologyA variation in the third nucleotide of a codon that codes for a specific aminoacid.

present singular third person wobbles · participle present wobbling · participle past wobbled · past wobbled · alternative archaic wabble

1. intransitiveTo move with an uneven or rocking motion, or unsteadily to and fro.

   the jelly wobbled on the plate

   3 more examples

   the Earth wobbles slowly on its axis

   The apparition wobbled in front of Arthur's eyes, though the truth of the matter is probably that Arthur's eyes were wobbling in front of the apparition. His mouth wobbled as well.

   1982 August, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; 3), London: Pan Books, →ISBN, page 27

   Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.

   2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68

   Synonyms: judder, shake, shudder, tremble

2. intransitiveTo tremble or quaver.

   The soprano's voice wobbled alarmingly.

   Synonyms: quaver, quiver, tremble

3. intransitiveTo vacillate in one's opinions.

   I'm wobbling between the Liberals and the Greens.

   Synonyms: falter, vacillate, waffle, waver

4. transitiveTo cause to wobble.

   The boy wobbled the girl's bike.

   1 more example

   He said: “This front wheel wobbles.” I said: “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t wobble, as a matter of fact—nothing worth calling a wobble.

   1900, Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel

   Synonyms: jiggle, rock, shake, wiggle