waggle
/'wægl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To move with short, quick movements from side to side or up and down: "waggle" describes a small, rapid, and often unsteady shaking or rocking motion.
- To cause something to move in such a way: It can also mean to make an object move with this kind of short, side-to-side motion.
Noun:
- A short, quick movement from side to side: "waggle" refers to the act or instance of waggling.
Examples of Usage
Verb:
- The golfer will waggle the club a few times before taking a swing.
- The puppy's tail began to waggle excitedly when it saw its owner.
- She waggled her eyebrows to suggest a secret.
Noun:
- He gave the handle a little waggle to see if it was loose.
- With a waggle of her fingers, she said goodbye.
Advanced Usage
- "to have a waggle on" (informal, chiefly British): To be in a state of agitation or excitement.
- The news put him in a bit of a waggle.
Variants and Related Words
- Wag (verb/noun): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "waggle," especially for tails. "Wag" can imply a broader, more sweeping motion.
- The dog wagged its tail.
- Wiggly (adj): Moving with quick, slight movements from side to side; sinuous.
- A wiggly line.
Synonyms
- Jiggle: To move lightly and quickly from side to side or up and down.
- Wobble: To move unsteadily from side to side.
- Shake: To move with short, quick movements back and forth or up and down.
Related Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "waggle" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is typically contained in the single word.)
Related Idioms
- "Waggle dance": A specific term in biology for the figure-eight dance honeybees perform to communicate the location of food sources to other bees.
- The scout bee performed a waggle dance to direct the hive to the flowers.
Noun
- causing to move repeatedly from side to side
Verb
- move unsteadily or with a weaving or rolling motion
- move from side to side
- The happy dog wagged his tail