Word
wobble
Phoneticswob·ble
US/ˈwɑbəɫ/
UK/wˈɒbəl/
Definition
v. to move from side to side in an unsteady way. You use this when something is loose or about to fall over.
v. to move unsteadily from side to side; to oscillate with an uneven or rocking motion. Often implies a lack of structural stability or balance.
Examples
“The old table started to wobble when I sat down.”
“The toddler took a few steps, but his legs began to wobble and he sat down on the carpet.”
“As the washing machine entered its final spin cycle, the uneven load caused the entire appliance to wobble violently against the kitchen cabinets.”
Examples
simple
“The old table started to wobble when I sat down.”
contextual
“The toddler took a few steps, but his legs began to wobble and he sat down on the carpet.”
complex
“As the washing machine entered its final spin cycle, the uneven load caused the entire appliance to wobble violently against the kitchen cabinets.”
Usage
The verb is intransitive but can be used transitively when meaning 'to cause something to move unsteadily'.
Real-World Examples
“Carrick will need to be smarter to stop an early-season wobble becoming something more serious.” “Everything went back together without issue and still works perfectly, with no new gaps or wobble.” Etymology
From earlier wabble (“wobble”), probably from Low German wabbeln (“to wobble”). Compare Dutch wiebelen and wobbelen (“to wobble”), German wabbeln (“to wobble”), Old Norse vafla (“to hover about, totter”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/wobble