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; see wade, -le; compare German watteln
Explanation
A duck's walk is a waddle. To imitate it, turn your feet away from each other and take short clumsy steps that make you swing unsteadily from side to side. Ducks aren't the only animals known to waddle. Penguins with their little tiny feet may waddle along the ice, though they move gracefully through the water. If your footing is unsteady, you might waddle a little too as you tread carefully. Don't confuse waddle with wattle. A wattle is the red bit of flesh that hangs from the necks of turkeys and chickens. Wattles waddle back and forth as birds waddle along.
Vocabulary lists containing waddle
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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25 Ways of Walking
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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.
It couldn’t waddle or sway without components from Chinese robot maker Unitree that power the motion of its neck and legs, according to a research paper by Disney.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
That part of the leg, they say, is where fibular reduction among some dinosaurs tens of millions of years ago helped make it possible for peacocks to strut, penguins to waddle, and turkeys to trot.
From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024
He is often drawn to physically resemble a penguin, dressed in a formal suit with a long birdlike nose, shuffling with a bit of a waddle.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024
While not particularly strong flyers — they are heavy for their wing span, and waddle on land — they are liquid grace in water, powering more than 25 feet deep to chase down fish.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2024
I don’t know what Adah rooted for as we lay out there with our needlework, watching him waddle up and down the branches.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
