verb/nounpl: waddles (noun)
andar com passos curtos e bamboleantes
1. To walk with short steps while swaying the body from side to side, like a duck or penguin
The penguin waddled across the ice.
O pinguim andava com passos curtos e bamboleantes pelo gelo.
2. An unsteady, side-to-side walking motion
She walked with a waddle due to her injury.
Ela caminhava com um andar bamboleante devido à sua lesão.
3. To move slowly or clumsily with swaying motions
The overweight duck waddled toward the pond.
O pato gordo se dirigiu bamboleando até a lagoa.
The term 'waddle' is commonly used in English-speaking children's literature and media to describe animal movements, particularly ducks and penguins. In Brazilian Portuguese, 'bambolear' captures the same playful, physical imagery. The word is rarely used to describe human movement in formal contexts but appears frequently in casual speech and comedy when describing exaggerated or clumsy walking.
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