squirm
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++squirm /skwɜːm $ skwɜːrm/ verb [intransitive] 1 MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONto twist your body from side to side because you are uncomfortable or nervous, or to get free from something which is holding you 扭动；蠕动；扭来扭去〔因不舒服、紧张或想挣脱某物〕 SYN wriggle Christine squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. 克里斯蒂娜坐在椅子上不自在地扭来扭去。 The boy tried to squirm free. 那男孩想要挣脱开。► see thesaurus at move2 EMBARRASSEDto feel very embarrassed or ashamed 羞愧难当，极为困窘squirm with He made me squirm with embarrassment. 他令我窘得无地自容。 —squirm noun [singular]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
squirm• Pornography is a subject that makes most Americans squirm.• Whenever I think back to what I said at the party it makes me want to squirm.• Instead of squirming about helplessly as intended, she gently caressed the strange hand with her own.• The cat was squirming and he put it down.• In the old-style office, the boss yelled, the employees squirmed, and maybe the work got done.• He squirmed as she came down the aisle.• The baby squirmed in her arms.• The little boy squirmed in his seat, anxious to get up and leave the table.• It was clear that whatever demons he'd tried to exorcise were still present and squirming inside his head.• McAllister and his team-mates were made to squirm their way through a special screening of their 4-1 Saturday mauling by Middlesbrough.• I can still remember how I used to squirm uneasily under his touch.• Diane squirmed wildly as Gavin tickled her.• When I tried to pick him up he squirmed wildly, jerked away and threw himself to the ground again.• The little boy squirmed with embarrassment when his mother told him off in front of his friends.• Laura's face reddened and she squirmed with embarrassment.Origin squirm (1600-1700) Perhaps copying the actionsquirm verbChinese
Corpus twist from your to side body to
squirm
squirm /skwɜːm $ skwɜːrm/
verb [intransitive]
SYN wriggle:
Christine squirmed uncomfortably in her chair.
The boy tried to squirm free.
2. to feel very embarrassed or ashamed
squirm with
He made me squirm with embarrassment.
—squirm noun [singular]
▪ move to go to a different place, or change the position of your body: Sarah moved away from the window. | Every time I move I get a pain in my left shoulder.
▪sway to move slowly from one side to the other: The branches swayed in the wind. | Donny swayed drunkenly as he walked back to his car.
▪rock to move repeatedly from one side to another, with small gentle movements: He rocked backward and forward in his chair. | The boat rocked from side to side with the waves.
▪wobble to move unsteadily from side to side: The bike wobbled a bit, but she soon got it under control.
▪fidget to keep moving or playing with your fingers, hands, feet etc, because you are bored or nervous: Diana fidgeted nervously with her pencil.
▪squirm to make very small movements from side to side with your body, especially because you feel uncomfortable: By the end of the hour, most of the children were squirming in their seats.
▪wriggle to make small movements from side to side, especially in order to get into or out of something: The dog wriggled under the fence and escaped into the street. | She managed to wriggle into the dress, but it was much too tight.
▪twitch if part of your body twitches, it makes small movements that you cannot control: A muscle on Yang’s face twitched.
▪stir written to make a movement – used especially when describing a situation in which no one moves, or someone wakes up: In the village a dog barked but no one stirred | The sleeping child stirred and opened her eyes.
▪budge to move – used when you are trying hard to make something move, often without success: The piano wouldn’t budge.
squirm /skwɜːm $ skwɜːrm/
verb [intransitive] Date: 1600-1700
Origin: Perhaps copying the action
1. to twist your body from side to side because you are uncomfortable or nervous, or to get free from something which is holding you Origin: Perhaps copying the action
SYN wriggle:
2. to feel very embarrassed or ashamed
squirm with
—squirm noun [singular]
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