waddle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to walk with short steps, swaying or rocking from side to side, as a duck.
-
to move in any similar, slow, rocking manner; wobble.
The ship waddled into port.
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- unwaddling adjective
- waddler noun
- waddling adjective
- waddlingly adverb
- waddly adjective
Etymology
Origin of waddle
1350–1400; Middle English; wade, -le; compare German watteln
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I was about halfway through our fields when I met Old Gandy waddling home.
From Literature
The gnomes announced death as they did anything else, with squeaking excitement, and that morning I despised the pudgy, waddling creatures more than ever.
From Literature
A pair of penguins waddled into a care home in Nottinghamshire to spread some cheer to residents.
From BBC
Martin's other daughter, Kelly Fretwell, said her mother had "waddled" when she walked, had a limp, arthritis and had undergone two hip replacements.
From BBC
Then she hauled herself out of her chair and waddled to the door and gently took Mr. McGinity by the elbow.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
