waddle

waddle — verb

IPA/ˈwɒd.əl/
KK[wˈɑdəl]IPA/ˈwɑː.dəl/
  • waddlepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • waddles3rd person singular
  • waddling-ing form
  • waddledpast simple

1. to move forward taking short, quick steps while swaying left and right as you go

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to move forward taking short, quick steps while swaying left and right as you go, especially because your legs are short or your body is heavy

Example

The ducklings waddled behind their mother across the muddy farmyard.

Femi watched the penguins waddle along the icy shore at the zoo.

intransitive: waddle + along [place]

Common collocations
  • waddle across
  • waddle along
  • waddle behind
  • waddle over to
  • waddle through
  • waddle straight to
Synonyms
  • shuffle

    suggests dragging the feet along the ground rather than rocking side to side

  • toddle

    used mainly for babies or very young children learning to walk, less swaying motion

Antonyms
  • stride

    long, confident steps, the opposite of short, rocking steps

  • march

    firm, regular steps with purpose, unlike the unsteady waddle

Grammar Patterns

waddle + direction phrase (along/through/across/over)

waddle — noun

IPA/ˈwɒdl/
KK[wˈɑdəl]IPA/ˈwɑːdl/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe unsteady ways of walking, but they differ in the type of motion and the typical user. Waddle specifically means walking with short steps while the body rocks from side to side, like a duck or a penguin — the image is always of a plump or short-legged creature. Shuffle suggests sliding the feet without lifting them, often because of tiredness, old age, or reluctance ("The old man shuffled to the door"). Toddle is reserved for babies or very young children taking their first unsteady steps, with a forward-tilting motion rather than side-to-side swaying. Wobble can describe anything that moves unsteadily (a bicycle, a table, a person on ice) and is not limited to walking. Use waddle when the side-to-side rocking is the key feature; use shuffle for dragging feet; use toddle for a baby's first steps; and use wobble for general instability.

waddle ↗shuffle ↗toddle ↗wobble ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • waddle off
  • waddle away
  • waddle up to

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Waddle comes from Middle English 'wadlen', which itself comes from Old English 'wadian' (to wade). The word is related to German 'wackeln' (to wobble). The original idea was of moving through mud or water with effort, causing a rocking motion — this sense of swaying from side to side was then applied more generally to any short-legged, swaying way of walking.

First known use

1592

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun