squirm
English · Thesaurus
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squirm
- /skwɜːm/ UK
- /skwɝm/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)m
Where it comes from
First recorded 1690's, originally used of eels; cognate with Scots squimmer (“to wriggle, squirm”). Of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal quirm, whirm (“to disappear quickly, vanish suddenly and mysteriously”), Norwegian kverva (“to turn around, take away, remove, shrink”), from Old Norse hverfa (“to turn, vanish”). Alternatively, perhaps imitative or related to worm (in the sense of writhing movement) or swarm.
verb squirms · squirming · squirmed
- To twist one's body with snakelike motions. The prisoner managed to squirm out of the straitjacket.
-
To twist in discomfort, especially from shame or embarrassment.
I recounted the embarrassing story in detail just to watch him squirm.
Similar: fidget
- To evade a question, an interviewer etc.
noun squirms
- A twisting, snakelike movement of the body.
Translations
Every language
verb twist one’s body with snakelike motion
| Español | serpentear, retorcerse |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 蠢く ugomeku |
| Português | serpentear, contorcer, retorcer, ondular, ondear |
| Français | gigoter, remuer, se tortiller |
| Deutsch | sich winden |
| Ελληνικά | στριφογυρίζω strifogyrízo |
| Русский | извива́ться izvivátʹsja, изгиба́ться izgibátʹsja, ко́рчиться kórčitʹsja |
verb twist in discomfort, especially from shame or embarrassment
| Español | avergonzarse |
|---|---|
| Português | contorcer |
| Deutsch | sich winden |
| Русский | поёживаться pojóživatʹsja, ёрзать jórzatʹ, ёжиться jóžitʹsja |
verb to evade a question, an interviewer etc.
| Español | escabullirse |
|---|---|
| Français | louvoyer |
| Deutsch | sich winden |
| Русский | уви́ливать uvílivatʹ |
Talk about this word "squirm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/squirm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. squirm. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/squirm "squirm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/squirm.Cite this
@misc{squirm_2026,
title = {squirm},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/squirm},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
