wobbled

verb

variants also wabbled
past tense of wobble
1
as in shook
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the patient's hand wobbles so much that he can scarcely hold a glass of water

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in lurched
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the table wobbled whenever I leaned on it

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action we cannot afford to have the governor wobble at this critical time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in faltered
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the drunk stood up, wobbled for a moment, and fell forward

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wobbled Between increasing costs and construction challenges from the BRT project, some small, longtime businesses have wobbled and closed. — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026 My admiration for Matthiessen has wobbled a bit but is still essentially grateful. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 Newcastle’s summer wobbled when news emerged in late June that Guimaraes was fixed on Arsenal. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026 The bond market wobbled, the Treasury Secretary tried to catch it. — Benzinga, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The ball wobbled, but Fields got underneath it for about a 40-yard catch. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026 Healthcare is a classic defensive sector, so as the AI trade wobbled and investors booked profits in first-half winners, more money flowed in the direction of companies like J & J, Cardinal and our other Club healthcare name Eli Lilly . — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 14 July 2026 Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled. — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 Sunny Side of the Doc may have wobbled after its 36th edition. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wobbled
  1. shook
  2. lurched
  3. hesitated
  4. faltered
  5. jerked
  6. swayed
  7. rocked
  8. shuddered
Verb
  • The crossing left at least 140 migrants dead and shook the city perched on the Mediterranean coast.
    — JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Both were arrested and were being held in separate prisons in the central city of Isfahan over their participation in the nationwide January protests that shook the Islamic republic.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • The airplane lurched skyward, and Elwood was strapped in for the ride.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Markets have lurched up and down as oil prices shot higher because of the war with Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurched
Verb
  • While its lawyers have not hesitated to send cease-and-desist letters to AI companies, Disney is among the big media companies looking for ways to get in the AI game and profit from its boom.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Teammates excitedly jumped off the bench, then hesitated when Thiero’s right knee appeared to buckle awkwardly under him.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitated
Verb
  • On top of all of that, the AI trade faltered this week amid growing concerns that some companies are issuing too much debt to build out their AI networks.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • This week a deal for Volta Infrastructure faltered as investors feeling full-up on data center debt demanded higher yields.
    — Ellen DiMauro, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltered
Verb
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerked
Verb
  • The judge appeared swayed by DHS’ assurances but needed time to consider.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Thus, the races are not swayed by the wave of voters electing their presidential candidate of choice.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of swayed
Verb
  • The deaths captured international attention and rocked the local economy, which authorities said was heavily reliant on tourism.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Shortly before this war began, Iran was again rocked by mass protests.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rocked
Verb
  • Conservatives shuddered to think how close the country had come to permanent entangling alliances.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • McDonald’s shares fell nearly 5% Wednesday, their largest percentage drop since April 2025, as investors shuddered at the eye-popping price of improving McDonald’s 46,000 global stores.
    — Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuddered

Browse Nearby Words

wobble
wobbled
wobbles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wobbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wobbled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All