wriggle

wriggle
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 through the window.
▪ The dog wriggled free and ran off.
2.) [T]
to move a part of your body backwards and forwards with small movements
▪ She took off her shoes and wriggled her toes.
>wriggly[i] adj
▪ a wriggly worm
wriggle out of [wriggle out of sth] phr v
1.) to avoid doing something by using clever excuses
= ↑get out of something
▪ Don't try to wriggle out of your responsibilities.
2.) to take off a tight piece of clothing by twisting your body from side to side
▪ She wriggled out of her dress.
wriggle 2
wriggle2 n
a movement in which you twist your body from side to side

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • wriggle — [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

  • Wriggle — 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

  • Wriggle — 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

  • Wriggle — Wrig gle, a. Wriggling; frisky; pliant; flexible. [Obs.] Their wriggle tails. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wriggle — (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

  • wriggle — ► 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

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

  • wriggle — [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

  • wriggle — 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

  • wriggle — [[t]rɪ̱g(ə)l[/t]] wriggles, wriggling, wriggled 1) VERB If you wriggle or wriggle part of your body, you twist and turn with quick movements, for example because you are uncomfortable. The babies are wriggling on their tummies... They were… …   English dictionary

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