squirm

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squirm

(skwûrm)

intr.v. squirmed, squirm·ing, squirms

1. To twist about in a wriggling, snakelike motion; writhe.

2. To feel or exhibit signs of humiliation or embarrassment.

1. The act of squirming.

2. A squirming movement.

[Origin unknown.]

squirm′er n.

squirm′y adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

squirm

(skwɜːm)

vb (intr)

1. to move with a wriggling motion; writhe

2. to feel deep mental discomfort, guilt, embarrassment, etc

a squirming movement

[C17: of imitative origin (perhaps influenced by worm)]

ˈsquirmer n

ˈsquirming adj

ˈsquirmingly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

squirm

(skwɜrm)

v.i.

1. to wriggle or writhe.

2. to feel or display discomfort or distress, as from embarrassment or pain.

3. the act of squirming; a squirming or wriggling movement.

[1685–95; of expressive orig., perhaps echoing worm]

squirm′er, n.

squirm′y, adj. squirm•i•er, squirm•i•est.

squirm

Past participle: squirmed
Gerund: squirming

Imperative
squirm
squirm

Present
I squirm
you squirm
he/she/it squirms
we squirm
you squirm
they squirm

Preterite
I squirmed
you squirmed
he/she/it squirmed
we squirmed
you squirmed
they squirmed

Present Continuous
I am squirming
you are squirming
he/she/it is squirming
we are squirming
you are squirming
they are squirming

Present Perfect
I have squirmed
you have squirmed
he/she/it has squirmed
we have squirmed
you have squirmed
they have squirmed

Past Continuous
I was squirming
you were squirming
he/she/it was squirming
we were squirming
you were squirming
they were squirming

Past Perfect
I had squirmed
you had squirmed
he/she/it had squirmed
we had squirmed
you had squirmed
they had squirmed

Future
I will squirm
you will squirm
he/she/it will squirm
we will squirm
you will squirm
they will squirm

Future Perfect
I will have squirmed
you will have squirmed
he/she/it will have squirmed
we will have squirmed
you will have squirmed
they will have squirmed

Future Continuous
I will be squirming
you will be squirming
he/she/it will be squirming
we will be squirming
you will be squirming
they will be squirming

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been squirming
you have been squirming
he/she/it has been squirming
we have been squirming
you have been squirming
they have been squirming

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been squirming
you will have been squirming
he/she/it will have been squirming
we will have been squirming
you will have been squirming
they will have been squirming

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been squirming
you had been squirming
he/she/it had been squirming
we had been squirming
you had been squirming
they had been squirming

Conditional
I would squirm
you would squirm
he/she/it would squirm
we would squirm
you would squirm
they would squirm

Past Conditional
I would have squirmed
you would have squirmed
he/she/it would have squirmed
we would have squirmed
you would have squirmed
they would have squirmed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	squirm - the act of wiggling wiggle, wriggle movement, motility, motion, move - a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility"
Verb	1.	squirm - to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace" twist, worm, wriggle, writhe, wrestle move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" wrench - make a sudden twisting motion

squirm

verb

1. wriggle, twist, writhe, shift, flounder, wiggle, fidget He gave a feeble shrug and tried to squirm free.

2. feel uncomfortable, worry, writhe, agonize Mentioning religion is a sure way to make him squirm.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

squirm

verb

1. To move or proceed with short irregular motions up and down or from side to side:

squiggle, waggle, wiggle, worm, wriggle, writhe.

2. To twist and turn, as in pain, struggle, or embarrassment:

agonize, toss, turn, writhe.

Translations

يَتَلَوّىيَشْعُر بالإرتِباك

propadat se hanbousvíjet se

krympe sig

sich krümmen sich winden

tortiller

feszeng

engjastfara hjá sér

contorcersi stare sulle spine

būti nesavamnerasti vietos

locītiesminstinātiessarauties

krympe seg kvie seg

prepadnúť sa od hanby

kıvranmakutanmak

局促不安扭动蠕动

squirm

[skwɜːm] VI → retorcerse
I'll make him squirm → yo lo haré sufrir
to squirm with embarrassment → estar violento, avergonzarse mucho

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

squirm

[ˈskwɜː^rm] vi

(= wriggle) → se tortiller

(with embarrassment) → ne plus savoir où se mettre

squirm

n → Winden nt; to give a squirm → sich winden

vi → sich winden; (in distaste) → schaudern; (with embarrassment) → sich (drehen und) winden; (from discomfort) → hin und her rutschen; blood/that joke makes me squirm → bei Blut/diesem Witz dreht sich in mir alles herum

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

squirm

[skwɜːm] vi → contorcersi
to squirm with embarrassment → sentirsi morire dall'imbarazzo

squirm

(skwəːm) verb

1. to twist the body or wriggle. He lay squirming on the ground with pain.

2. to be very embarrassed or ashamed. I squirmed when I thought of how rude I'd been.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

He squirms on his dunghill, and like a child lost in the dark among goblins, calls to the gods that he is their younger brother, a prisoner of the quick that is destined to be as free as they--monuments of egotism reared by the epiphenomena; dreams and the dust of dreams, that vanish when the dreamer vanishes and are no more when he is not.

View in context

Of course, they could squirm as they perished, as the socialists squirmed, as the speaker on the platform and the perspiring crowd were squirming even now as they counselled together for some new device with which to minimize the penalties of living and outwit the Cosmos.

View in context

Any sacrifice that makes me lose one crawl or squirm is foolish,--and not only foolish, for it is a wrong against myself and a wicked thing.

View in context

I remembered having seen tricksters writhe and squirm out of ropes with which they were bound, but though I writhed and squirmed like a good fellow, the knots remained as hard as ever, and there was no appreciable slack.

View in context

I failed to recognize him, but before I could speak I trod upon something that was alive and that squirmed under my foot.