waggle

Move side-to-side

To waggle is to move with short, quick motions from side to side or up and down—a less vigorous cousin of wiggle.

A dog waggles its tail, a golfer waggles the club before swinging, someone waggles their eyebrows suggestively.

The noun waggle is an instance of such movement: Give it a little waggle to see if it's loose.

motion

wiggle

Move with small twists

jiggleShake with small movements
shakeTrembling or blended treat
wobbleUnsteady side-to-side motion

sway · flutter · quiver · oscillate · vibrate · twitch · shimmy · bob · flick · undulate

gesture

wave

Oscillating motion through medium

eyebrowHairy arch above socket
signalMessage-conveying cue
beckonSignal to approach

greeting · playful · teasing · scolding · admonishing · mime · pantomime · flirtatious · beckoning · come-hither

bee

dance

Rhythmic bodily movement

honeybeeNectar-gathering social insect
hiveBee dwelling structure
foragerOne seeking wild food

pollen · nectar · communication · direction · distance · scout · colony · worker · figure-eight · recruitment

golf

clubhead

Golf implement's striking end

backswingRearward preparatory motion
downswingDeclining phase or movement
golferOne who plays rounds

tee · fairway · swing · driver · iron · address · setup · alignment · grip · stance

Categories

hand gestureswave, point, beckon, clap, snap
swayingsway, oscillate, rock, swing, undulate
Canadian footballCFL, rouge, Argonauts, Argos, Stamps
body movementsflexion, bend, twist, standing, extension

Opposites

motion type

wagglesteady

Fixed, not fluctuating

still · motionless · stationary · immobile · fixed

movement quality

waggleglide

Move with effortless continuity

sweep · slide · rotate · spin · stabilize

Family

waggish, waggles, waggon, waggling, waggled, waggly, waggery, waggler

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G