waddle

[wod-l]

verb (used without object)

waddled, waddling 

1. to walk with short steps, swaying or rocking from side to side, as a duck.

2. to move in any similar, slow, rocking manner; wobble.

   The ship waddled into port.

noun

1. an act or instance of waddling, especially a waddling gait.

waddle

/ ˈwɒdəl /

verb

1. to walk with short steps, rocking slightly from side to side

noun

1. a swaying gait or motion

Other Word Forms

• waddler noun
• waddlingly adverb
• waddly adjective
• unwaddling adjective
• waddling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of waddle¹

1350–1400; Middle English; wade, -le; compare German watteln

Word History and Origins

Origin of waddle¹

C16: probably frequentative of _wade

Example Sentences

Now, HBO’s “The Penguin,” fleshing out the origin story of the waddling, tuxedo-clad “gentleman mobster” after more than 80 years as one of the Caped Crusader’s best-known adversaries, has earned a staggering 24 Emmy nominations.

From Los Angeles Times

Huntington Beach junior lifeguards volunteered at the event, according to a news release from the center, unzipping the cages on the beach to allow the birds to waddle out to shore.

From Los Angeles Times

Her caption in the now-deleted post read: "My dream of holding a wombat has been realised! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush."

From BBC

By that afternoon, she was instead “waddling around from appointment to appointment, talking about how to get the cancer out.”

From Los Angeles Times

Poor circulation in his legs has turned his walk into more of a waddle.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• toddle 
• totter 
• wiggle 
• wobble