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DictionarywaddleSwaying walk
verb / noun

waddle

WAH-dul/wˈɑdʌl/

Walking with short steps while swaying from side to side.

The ducks waddle across the yard toward the pond.

A duck waddles forward with a short step, its weight shifted onto one webbed foot and its rounded body tilted gently sideways; a few closely spaced alternating footprints make the short-stepped gait clear.
Etymology
waddOld Englishgo forward, stride
+leEnglishsmall or repeated action

The root meant “go forward”; the suffix marks small or repeated actions. Together they describe a gait of short steps, especially the side-to-side walk of a duck.

In context

Free Documentary - Nature12:04
It's not long before bellies are bulging and the pudgy primates can waddle back to the jungle.
The Rainforest: The Most Diverse Habitat on Earth | Free Documentary Nature

More examples

  • A penguin waddled over the ice.
  • The toddler crosses the room with an unsteady waddle.
  • In that bulky costume, I can only waddle.

Forms

waddle · waddles · waddled · waddling

Similar words

toddle
Emphasizes short, unsteady steps, especially those of a young child.
shuffle
Emphasizes dragging the feet rather than swaying side to side.