waddle

verb

ˈwä-dᵊl How to pronounce waddle (audio)
Definition of waddlenext
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side the duck waddled back into the water we watched the penguins waddle over the ice together

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 waddle Once considered delightfully kitschy relics of suburban Americana, porch geese are waddling their way back into the spotlight. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 29 May 2026 In less than two weeks, Merlín went from waddling through the streets of Mexico City during Mexico's opening victory to visiting the presidential palace. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 Yet one place that Merlin is allowed is inside Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidential palace, waddling onto stage on Monday morning for her daily briefing. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani waddled through the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 4-3 comeback victory against the Padres on Friday night, the bulging ice wraps around his left knee and right arm creating a penguin-like effect to his gait. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for waddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddle
  1. stagger
  2. lurch
  3. weave
  4. totter
  5. shuffle
Verb
  • Implementation of the program will be staggered, starting in elementary schools in 2030, for Texas’ more than 5 million students – about 10% of the national total.
    — Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 29 June 2026
  • Since the notices will be staggered, however, some borrowers may have more time.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of stagger
Verb
  • Once, somewhere in southern Virginia, Dad performed the customary lurch off the highway in the direction of a promising barbecue counter.
    — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.
    — Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
Definition of lurch
Verb
  • Experienced vine dressers weave the canes into basket-like forms that rest close to the island’s volcanic soil, protecting grapes from wind and harsh conditions.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Wingate weaves this historical horror with a modern-day mystery, illustrating the lasting trauma of children stolen for profit and the unbreakable bond of blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Definition of weave
Verb
  • In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
  • Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Definition of totter
Verb
  • As soon as the game wrapped up, those guests shuffled out, and hours later were replaced by a rowdier group ordering shots at the bar, dancing to 2000s hits in front of the DJ booth and smoking vape pens on the outdoor patio.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
  • Pretoria responded to the threat of violence in June 30 protests with millions of dollars shuffled inside the police budget, tactical units deployed, and soldiers on standby.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of shuffle

Browse Nearby Words

waddings
waddle
waddled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddle. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on waddle

Nglish: Translation of waddle for Spanish Speakers

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