wriggle

UK: /ˈrɪg^əl/ US: /ˈrɪgəl/ ,(rig′əl)

Inflections of 'wriggle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

wriggles

v 3rd person singular

wriggling

v pres p

wriggled

v past

wriggled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

wrig•gle /ˈrɪgəl/   v., -gled, -gling, n. 
v. 

1. to twist from one side to the other;
   squirm;
   writhe: [no object]
   The child was wriggling in his seat.
   [~ + object]
   to wriggle one's toes.
2. to move along by twisting and turning the body, as a worm: [no object]
   The worm wriggled in the dirt.
   [~ + object]
   He wriggled his way through the narrow tunnel.
3. wriggle out of, [~ + out of + object] to escape from or avoid:
   He tried to wriggle out of doing the work.

n. [countable]

4. the act or motion of wriggling:
   a little wriggle of the hips.

wrig•gler, n. [countable]
wrig•gly, adj.,  -gli•er, -gli•est :

a wriggly little worm.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

wrig•gle  (rig′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 narrow opening.

n. 

6. act of wriggling;
   a wriggling movement.

• Middle Low German wriggelen (cognate with Dutch wriggelen), frequentative of *wriggen to twist, turn, akin to Old English wrīgian to twist; see wry
• 1485–95

wrig′gling•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

wriggle / ˈrɪɡ^əl/ verb

1. to make or cause to make twisting movements
2. (intransitive) to progress by twisting and turning
3. (intr; followed by into or out of) to manoeuvre oneself by clever or devious means: wriggle out of an embarrassing situation

noun

1. a wriggling movement or action
2. a sinuous marking or course

Etymology: 15th Century: from Middle Low German; compare Dutch wriggelen

ˈwriggler noun

ˈwriggly adjective