Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense waddles, present participle waddling, past tense, past participle waddled
verb
To waddle somewhere means to walk there with short, quick steps, swinging slightly from side to side. A person or animal that waddles usually has short legs and a fat body.
McGinnis pushed himself laboriously out of the chair and waddled to the window. [VERB preposition/adverb]
In the evenings, ducks waddle up to the front door to be fed. [VERB preposition/adverb]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: shuffle, shamble, totter, toddle More Synonyms of waddle
waddle in British English
(ˈwɒdəl)
verb(intransitive)
1.
to walk with short steps, rocking slightly from side to side
noun
2.
a swaying gait or motion
Derived forms
waddler (ˈwaddler)
noun
waddling (ˈwaddling)
adjective
waddly (ˈwaddly)
adjective
Word origin
C16: probably frequentative of wade
waddle in American English
(ˈwɑdəl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈwaddled or ˈwaddling
1.
to walk with short steps, swaying from side to side, as a duck does
2.
to move clumsily with a motion like this; toddle
noun
3.
the act of waddling or a waddling gait
Derived forms
waddler (ˈwaddler)
noun
Word origin
freq. of wade
Examples of 'waddle' in a sentence
waddle
They use words like waddle when they want to describe how a stout person walks.
Various LOOKING FOR THE SPARK (2001)
I waddle around out here, a pale old thing among all these tanned sybarites.
Richard Wright 52449_CLARA (2001)
Chinese translation of 'waddle'
waddle
(ˈwɔdl)
vi
[duck, fat person]摇(搖)摇(搖)摆(擺)摆(擺)地行走 (yáoyáo bǎibǎi de xíngzǒu)
Nearby words of
waddle
vulnerable
vulture
W
waddle
wade
wade in
wading pool
(verb)
Definition
to walk with short steps, rocking slightly from side to side
a fat woman waddling down the street
Synonyms
shuffle
She shuffled across the kitchen.
shamble
The conductor shambled to the next carriage.
totter
His legs were in pain and he had to totter home.
toddle
rock
His body rocked from side to side.
stagger
He was staggering and had to lean on the bar.
sway
The people swayed back and forth with arms linked.
wobble
The ladder wobbled on the uneven ground.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of rock
His body rocked from side to side.
Synonyms
sway,
pitch,
swing,
reel,
toss,
lurch,
wobble,
roll
in the sense of shamble
Definition
to walk or move along in an awkward shuffling way
The conductor shambled to the next carriage.
Synonyms
shuffle,
stumble,
lurch,
limp,
lumber,
drag your feet
in the sense of stagger
Definition
to walk unsteadily
He was staggering and had to lean on the bar.
Synonyms
totter,
reel,
sway,
falter,
lurch,
wobble,
waver,
teeter
Nearby words of
waddle
wacky
wad
wadding
waddle
wade
wade in
wade into someone
Synonyms of 'waddle'
waddle
Explore 'waddle' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of sway
Definition
to lean to one side and then the other
The people swayed back and forth with arms linked.