to squirm
68
3.9
- verb
- /skwɜrm/
:
removerse
- When she saw the unexpected image, she started to squirm with discomfort.
- make someone squirm
- squirm in one's seat
- the audience squirmed
And she's just like, I'm enjoying watching you squirm.
- And she's just like, I'm enjoying watching you squirm.
- And I just started, I'm, I started squirming.
- All life, everything organic that wriggles or squirms or Burrows or flies or swarms or lays eggs.
- And Connor singing as Roman squirms.
- And let me tell you, it makes for some great theater to watch a narcissistic person squirm, especially in a courtroom.
- Because what happens with narcissist is they actually enjoy the process of making you squirm.
- And you might, if they kind of like squirm a little bit, they probably don't do that for their clients.
- I think those people you just mentioned, I'm just, I'm like squirming in my chair because I'm like, they have no clue how great they can be.
- Marquee peers out from the side of his Periscope and he sees Seaman Jones couple stripes on his arm, just sitting there squirming in his seat.
- They can squirrel and squirm and try to make it look negative and ugly all they want, but it's not going to stop what's coming, according to her.
Examples
-
Struggling not to wet her pants, she squirmed to the back of the chair.
Fiction book (1990) -
Her thoughts drifted to his more recent courtship, and she squirmed in mortification.
Fiction book (1990) -
I think he enjoyed watching us squirm, trying to respond in Spanish.
-
On the panel, you made me squirm because I realized I have a big fat "But" problem.
Academic text (2017) -
How they loved to see him squirm in the agony of love.
Fiction book (1991) -
So he's going to sit there squirming until he says that?
-
Look at them squirm.
-
Is there going to be trouble?" he added, squirming beneath the gaze of the black eyes.
Fiction book (1991) -
The fish were not anesthetized for handling, so fish occasionally squirmed free and landed on the deck.
Academic text (1998) -
The embarrassing question made him squirm in his seat.
Synonyms
89
1.0
To move with small, quick movements from side to side or up and down
28
3.7
To twist and turn the body with small quick movements to get free
26
3.4
To make small nervous movements, often with hands or feet
24
7.5
Move the body in a twisting, uncomfortable way because of pain or embarrassment
2
4.6
To shake or move quickly because you are nervous
Antonyms
How Restless
Surface Forms
Etymology
Squirm probably began as a sound word that copies the quick twisting of a small animal or body, like a short 'wriggle'. So to squirm is to twist or wriggle when you feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or want to get away.