wriggle

/ˈrɪɡl/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈɪɡəl] /ˈrɪɡl/ (ame, ipa) · [rˈɪɡəl] /ˈri-gəl How to pronounce wriggle (audio)/ (ame, mw) · /ˈrɪɡ.əl/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈɪɡəl] /ˈrɪɡ.əl/ (ame, ipa)

wriggle — verb

  • wrigglepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • wriggleshe / she / it
  • wriggledpast simple
  • wriggling-ing form

1. to turn your body quickly from side to side with small movements, especially whe

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

to turn your body quickly from side to side with small movements, especially when you feel uncomfortable, excited, or are trying to pull free from a tight grip

例句

Keiko wriggled in her chair all through the long meeting and kept checking her watch.

wriggle + in [seat/chair]

Diego wriggled his fingers into the tight glove and flexed them to test the fit.

transitive: wriggle + body part (fingers, toes, shoulders)

同義詞
  • squirm

    implies stronger discomfort or embarrassment; the movement is usually less purposeful than wriggling

  • twist

    more general — can be a single turn without the quick, repeated side-to-side motion of wriggling

  • fidget

    focuses on restless, small movements from boredom or nervousness, not an attempt to escape

文法句型

wriggle [body part]

wriggle + adverb/preposition

wriggle out of [something]

用法筆記

Frequently used with adverbs of direction or manner (wriggle free, wriggle restlessly, wriggle out). The transitive pattern (wriggle + body part) describes small controlled movements of the toes, fingers, or shoulders.

常見錯誤

❌The baby wriggled hardly in the chair.
✅The baby wriggled restlessly in the chair.
💡'Hardly' means 'almost not'; use 'restlessly' or 'impatiently' instead.
❌He wriggled to get free from the rope.
✅He wriggled out of the rope / wriggled free from the rope.
💡'Wriggle out of' is the standard pattern for escaping physical restraint.

2. to work your body through a tight space — such as a gap in a fence or a crowd —

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to work your body through a tight space — such as a gap in a fence or a crowd — using short, quick, snake-like movements

例句

Tariq wriggled through the fence hole to get his football from the neighbour's garden.

wriggle through [narrow opening]

A long black snake wriggled under the garden shed and vanished from sight.

同義詞
  • squeeze

    focuses on fitting into a space barely large enough; less emphasis on the twisting motion of wriggling

  • worm one's way

    emphasises slow, patient, twisting progress through a tight or crowded space

文法句型

wriggle + through/under/into [narrow space]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by a prepositional phrase (through, under, into) naming the tight space. Describes deliberate, effortful movement, not aimless wriggling. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about moving from A to B through an obstacle, not just twisting in place.

常見錯誤

❌The cat wriggled the window.
✅The cat wriggled through the window.
💡This sense needs a preposition; it is not transitive.

wriggle — noun