wriggle

  • 1wriggle — [rig′əl] vi. wriggled, wriggling [MLowG wriggeln, akin to OFris wrigia: see WRY] 1. to move to and fro with a twisting, writhing motion; twist and turn; squirm 2. to move along with a wriggling motion 3. to make one s way by subtle or shifty… …

    English World dictionary

  • 2Wriggle — Wrig gle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Wriggled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wriggling}.] [Freq. of wrig, probably from OE. wrikken to move to and fro; cf. LG. wriggeln, D. wrikken, Sw. vricka, Dan. vrikke.] To move the body to and fro with short, writhing motions …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3Wriggle — Wrig gle, v. t. To move with short, quick contortions; to move by twisting and squirming; like a worm. [1913 Webster] Covetousness will wriggle itself out at a small hole. Fuller. [1913 Webster] Wriggling his body to recover His seat, and cast… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4Wriggle — Wrig gle, a. Wriggling; frisky; pliant; flexible. [Obs.] Their wriggle tails. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5wriggle — (v.) late 15c., from M.L.G. wrigglen to wriggle, from P.Gmc. *wrig , *wreik to turn (see WRY (Cf. wry)). Related to O.E. wrigian to turn, incline, go forward …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 6wriggle — ► VERB 1) twist and turn with quick writhing movements. 2) (wriggle out of) avoid by devious means. ► NOUN ▪ a wriggling movement. DERIVATIVES wriggler noun wriggly adjective …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7Wriggle — Wrig gle, n. Act of wriggling; a short or quick writhing motion or contortion. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 8wriggle — [v] maneuver out of; wiggle convulse, crawl, dodge, extricate oneself, glide, jerk, jiggle, ooze, skew, slink, slip, snake, sneak, squirm, turn, twist, twitch, wag, waggle, worm, writhe, zigzag; concepts 30,149 …

    New thesaurus

  • 9wriggle — I UK [ˈrɪɡ(ə)l] / US verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms wriggle : present tense I/you/we/they wriggle he/she/it wriggles present participle wriggling past tense wriggled past participle wriggled to move, or to make something move, by… …

    English dictionary

  • 10wriggle — wrig|gle1 [ˈrıgəl] v [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: Probably from Middle Low German wriggeln] 1.) to twist your body from side to side with small quick movements ▪ Stop wriggling and let me put your T shirt on. wriggle under/through/into ▪ He wriggled …

    Dictionary of contemporary English