wriggle

(redirected from wriggles)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

wriggle

writhe; squirm; to move by twisting and turning the body, as a worm or snake: He tried to wriggle out of the narrow opening.
Not to be confused with:
wiggle – move quickly and irregularly from side to side: The puppy wiggled its tail.; undulating
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

wrig·gle

 (rĭg′əl)
v. wrig·gled, wrig·gling, wrig·gles
v.intr.
1. To turn or twist the body or a body part with writhing motions: The rabbit's nose wriggled.
2. To move or proceed with writhing motions: wriggle into a sleeping bag; wriggled out of his grasp.
v.tr.
1. To move with a wriggling motion: wriggle a toe.
2. To make (one's way, for example) by or as if by wriggling: He wriggled his way into her good graces.
n.
A wriggling movement.
Phrasal Verb:
wriggle out of
To extricate oneself from (an undesirable situation or responsibility, for example) by sly or subtle means: wriggled out of a jam.
[Middle English wrigglen, perhaps from Middle Low German wriggeln; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]
wrig′gly adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

wriggle

(ˈrɪɡəl)
vb
1. to make or cause to make twisting movements
2. (intr) to progress by twisting and turning
3. (intr; foll by into or out of) to manoeuvre oneself by clever or devious means: wriggle out of an embarrassing situation.
n
4. a wriggling movement or action
5. a sinuous marking or course
[C15: from Middle Low German; compare Dutch wriggelen]
ˈwriggler n
ˈwriggly adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wrig•gle

(ˈrɪg əl)

v. -gled, -gling,
n. v.i.
1. to twist to and fro; writhe; squirm.
2. to move along by twisting and turning the body, as a worm or snake.
3. to make one's way by shifts or expedients (often fol. by out): to wriggle out of a difficulty.
v.t.
4. to cause to wriggle: to wriggle one's hips.
5. to bring, get, make, etc., by wriggling: to wriggle one's way through a tunnel.
n.
6. the act of wriggling; a wriggling movement.
[1485–95; < Middle Low German wriggelen (c. Dutch wriggelen), frequentative of *wriggen to twist, turn, akin to Old English wrīgian to twist; see wry]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

wriggle


Past participle: wriggled
Gerund: wriggling

Imperative
wriggle
wriggle
Present
I wriggle
you wriggle
he/she/it wriggles
we wriggle
you wriggle
they wriggle
Preterite
I wriggled
you wriggled
he/she/it wriggled
we wriggled
you wriggled
they wriggled
Present Continuous
I am wriggling
you are wriggling
he/she/it is wriggling
we are wriggling
you are wriggling
they are wriggling
Present Perfect
I have wriggled
you have wriggled
he/she/it has wriggled
we have wriggled
you have wriggled
they have wriggled
Past Continuous
I was wriggling
you were wriggling
he/she/it was wriggling
we were wriggling
you were wriggling
they were wriggling
Past Perfect
I had wriggled
you had wriggled
he/she/it had wriggled
we had wriggled
you had wriggled
they had wriggled
Future
I will wriggle
you will wriggle
he/she/it will wriggle
we will wriggle
you will wriggle
they will wriggle
Future Perfect
I will have wriggled
you will have wriggled
he/she/it will have wriggled
we will have wriggled
you will have wriggled
they will have wriggled
Future Continuous
I will be wriggling
you will be wriggling
he/she/it will be wriggling
we will be wriggling
you will be wriggling
they will be wriggling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been wriggling
you have been wriggling
he/she/it has been wriggling
we have been wriggling
you have been wriggling
they have been wriggling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been wriggling
you will have been wriggling
he/she/it will have been wriggling
we will have been wriggling
you will have been wriggling
they will have been wriggling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been wriggling
you had been wriggling
he/she/it had been wriggling
we had been wriggling
you had been wriggling
they had been wriggling
Conditional
I would wriggle
you would wriggle
he/she/it would wriggle
we would wriggle
you would wriggle
they would wriggle
Past Conditional
I would have wriggled
you would have wriggled
he/she/it would have wriggled
we would have wriggled
you would have wriggled
they would have wriggled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.wriggle - the act of wigglingwriggle - the act of wiggling      
squirm, wiggle
movement, motility, motion, move - a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility"
Verb1.wriggle - to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)wriggle - to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace"
squirm, twist, worm, writhe, wrestle
move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
wrench - make a sudden twisting motion
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

wriggle

verb
1. jiggle, turn, twist, jerk, squirm, writhe The audience were fidgeting and wriggling in their seats.
2. wiggle, jerk, wag, jiggle, waggle She pulled off her shoes and stockings and wriggled her toes.
3. crawl, snake, worm, twist and turn, zigzag, slink Bauman wriggled along the passage on his stomach.
noun
1. twist, turn, jerk, wag, squirm, wiggle, jiggle, waggle With a wriggle, he freed himself from her grasp and ran off.
wriggle out of something twist, avoid, duck, dodge, extricate yourself from, talk your way out of, worm your way out of The government is trying to wriggle out of its responsibilities.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

wriggle

verb
To move or proceed with short irregular motions up and down or from side to side:
squiggle, squirm, waggle, wiggle, worm, writhe.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
تَلَوٍّيَتَلَوّى
izgés-mozgás
iîiîa, engjast til og frá
išsisukinėjantis žmogussukinėjimasissukinėtis
grozīšanāsgrozītiesizlocītieslocīšanāslocīties
krútenievykrútiť sa
zvijati se
kıpır kıpır kıpırdanmakyerinde duramamayerinde duramamak

wriggle

[ˈrɪgl]
A. VT → mover
to wriggle one's toes/fingers → mover los dedos de los pies/de las manos
to wriggle one's way through sth → avanzar con dificultad a través de algo
B. VI (also wriggle about or around) [person, animal] (restlessly) → moverse, revolverse; (in pain) → retorcerse; [worm, snake, eel] → serpentear; [fish] → colear
to wriggle along → moverse serpenteando
to wriggle away → escaparse serpenteando
to wriggle down → bajarse serpenteando
to wriggle free → escaparse, escurrirse
to wriggle through a hole → deslizarse por un agujero
to wriggle out of a difficulty → escabullirse, escaparse de un apuro
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

wriggle

[ˈrɪgəl]
n → tortillement m
vi
[person, worm, snake] → se tortiller; [fish] → frétiller
to wriggle in anticipation → frétiller d'impatience
The children were wriggling in anticipation → Les enfants frétillaient d'impatience.
to wriggle into sth → se tortiller pour enfiler qch
to wriggle out of sb's arms → s'extirper des bras de qn
to wriggle free → s'extirper
(fig) to wriggle out of sth → se défiler et ne pas faire qch
to wriggle out of doing sth → se défiler et ne pas faire qch
vt [+ toes, fingers] → remuer
She wriggled her toes → Elle remua les orteils.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

wriggle

n → Schlängeln nt no pl; (of child, fish) → Zappeln nt no pl; to give a wriggle (worm, snake, eel) → sich schlängeln; (fish) → sich winden, zappeln
vt toes, ears → wackeln mit; to wriggle one’s way through something → sich durch etw (hin)durchwinden or -schlängeln
vi (also wriggle about or around) (worm, snake, eel) → sich schlängeln; (fish) → sich winden, zappeln; (person) (restlessly, excitedly) → zappeln; (in embarrassment) → sich winden; to wriggle along/down → sich vorwärtsschlängeln/nach unten schlängeln; the fish wriggled off the hook → der Fisch wand sich vom Haken; she managed to wriggle free → es gelang ihr, sich loszuwinden; he wriggled through the hole in the hedge → er wand or schlängelte sich durch das Loch in der Hecke; do stop wriggling about → hör endlich mit der Zappelei auf
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

wriggle

[ˈrɪgl]
1. vt (toes, fingers) → muovere
to wriggle one's way through (tunnel) → attraversare strisciando (undergrowth) → strisciare in
2. vi (also wriggle about or around) → agitarsi, dimenarsi; (fish, on hook) → contorcersi
to wriggle along/down → avanzare/scendere strisciando
to wriggle free → liberarsi contorcendosi
to wriggle through a hole → contorcersi per passare attraverso un buco
he managed to wriggle out of it (fig) → se l'è cavata con un espediente
3. n → contorsione f
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

wriggle

(ˈrigl) verb
to twist to and fro. The child kept wriggling in his seat; How are you going to wriggle out of this awkward situation?moverse, menearse, retorcerse
noun
a wriggling movement. meneo
ˈwriggler noun
niño que no se está quieto
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
Mentioned in ?
References in classic literature ?
It never wriggles. In man or fish, wriggling is a sign of inferiority.
View in context
As me and my companions were scrambling up a hill, The path was lost in rolling stones, but we went forward still; For we can wriggle and climb, my lads, and turn up everywhere, Oh, it's our delight on a mountain height, with a leg or two to spare!
Good luck to every sergeant, then, that lets us pick our road; Bad luck to all the driver-men that cannot pack a load: For we can wriggle and climb, my lads, and turn up everywhere, Oh, it's our delight on a mountain height, with a leg or two to spare!
View in context
Through the long black night the savage scouts wriggle, snake-like, among the grass without stirring a blade.
View in context
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" grunted the Tartar, and suddenly lifting up his swarthy snub-nosed face with its high cheekbones, and baring his white teeth, he began to wriggle and twitch his body and utter piercing, ringing, and prolonged yells.
View in context
"If I was oo," said Bruno, "I wouldn't wriggle so early.
View in context
At last I saw, through the tears in my eyes, that there was no hope of the villain at all, and one day when he had been cuffed until he grew so black in the face that one might have mistaken him for a little African, and no effect had been produced beyond that of making him wriggle himself into a fit, I could stand it no longer, but went down upon my knees forthwith, and, uplifting my voice, made prophecy of his ruin.
View in context
I'm going to squirm and wriggle and whisper, and I'm going to say I don't know the Golden Text.
View in context

Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?