squiggle

verb

ˈskwi-gəl How to pronounce squiggle (audio)
Definition of squigglenext
1
as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements a pediatrician's waiting room full of squiggling toddlers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to scribble
to write or draw hastily or carelessly there are some illegible notes squiggled in the margins of the old book

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squiggle The salamanders are still squiggling commas inside them. — Nathan Rott, NPR, 27 May 2026 The cake is gingery, light and moist, squiggled with thick cream cheese frosting. — Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 15 Sep. 2025 The six dancers in bright blues and greens (a seventh, originally Brown, appears at the beginning and the end) ripple and squiggle through space, intersecting and occasionally aligning, ricocheting and weaving. — Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 1 May 2025 Breaking water in the morning and shoulders squiggling free in the dark of evening. — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for squiggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squiggle
  1. twitch
  2. scribble
  3. fidget
  4. scrawl
  5. toss
  6. squirm
  7. jerk
  8. wiggle
Verb
  • The 5-11, 210-pounder is a sudden cutter who runs with power and twitch, attacking space like a great punt returner.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The muscles in Lola Petticrew’s face twitch ever so slightly, indicating Catherine’s excitement that the police are now in possession of this picture.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of twitch
Verb
  • With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Jack McGrail and Aiyana Da’Briel, staff leaders for the SoLa Live Accelerator program behind the event, seemed to be everywhere at once, passing out wristbands and scribbling on clipboards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of scribble
Verb
  • Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fidget
Verb
  • Instead, there’s an impromptu memorial, formed from hundreds of tributes to the rapper scrawled in sharpie on poles and on the concrete.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Shelving units in the garage are tightly, but neatly, packed with containers of various items, from Nike sneakers to Cold War-era relics, labeled with a description or lot number scrawled in black marker.
    — Sarah Jackson Valentina Duarte, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of scrawl
Verb
  • To add to the playfulness, beach balls were also tossed about during up-tempo songs.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Roast for 20 minutes, then toss the vegetables and carefully flip the chicken.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of toss
Verb
  • Where Raphael’s infant Christ is plump, acquiescent, docile, Cassatt’s children squirm, resist, and ignore authority.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Its defenders will have to do better than making Infantino squirm.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of squirm
Verb
  • But in 1933, within a matter of days, they were jerked back into reality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Stuttering lines, on the left, jerking up and down, denote the rattle of guns; on the right, the lines are all but flat, as silence descends.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerk
Verb
  • Thanks to the square toe box and wide opening, there’s plenty of room to wiggle your toes, too.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Hawaii put runners on base in each of the first four innings, but Kirk wiggled out of it until the fifth when Waiki Doctolero blasted a three-run home run to get Hawaii back in the game.
    — Dennis Pope, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of wiggle

Browse Nearby Words

squiffed
squiggle
squiggled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squiggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squiggle. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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