fiddle

1 of 2

noun

fid·​dle ˈfi-dᵊl How to pronounce fiddle (audio)
1
: violin
2
: a device (such as a slat, rack, or light railing) to keep objects from sliding off a table aboard ship
3
: fiddlesticks
used as an interjection
4
[fiddle entry 2] chiefly British : swindle

fiddle

2 of 2

verb

fiddled; fiddling ˈfid-liŋ How to pronounce fiddle (audio)
ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

1
: to play on a fiddle
2
a
: to move the hands or fingers restlessly
b
: to spend time in aimless or fruitless activity : putter, tinker
fiddled around with the engine for hours
c
d
: to make minor manual movements especially to adjust something
fiddled with the radio knobs

transitive verb

1
: to play (something) on a fiddle
fiddle a tune
2
3
: to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain
accountants fiddling the booksStanley Cohen
fiddler
ˈfid-lər How to pronounce fiddle (audio)
ˈfi-dᵊl-ər
noun

Examples of fiddle in a Sentence

Noun an expert with the fiddle arrested for a tax fiddle Verb Nero fiddled while Rome burned. the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Sorcha Costello brought the crowd to a standstill with her fiddle, and a massive line of new fans formed to buy both of their CDs, just to support these young talented people and music. Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Not to be confused with the 2001 Blake Shelton hit, Dasha employs handclaps, folksy fiddle and boot-stomping, made-for-line-dancing rhythms to propel this tale of calling out an ex-lover who ghosted her. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024 Stover’s drums and Brown’s fiddle play to a tempo that matches the depth of Smith’s voice. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 The couple first met in 2003, when Shires was playing fiddle in Billy Joe Shaver’s band and struck up a friendship. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Feb. 2024 There was more: a haunting Arabic elegy sung by Emel, a virtuosic performance on a Chinese two-string fiddle by Wang Guowei, a monologue about safety from the perspective of a dog, delivered by Laurie Anderson, accompanying herself on electric violin. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2024 Prominent country instruments, such as the fiddle and the banjo, were played mostly by enslaved African people and eventually incorporated into music driven by white Southern artists, according to Martinez, who has written extensively on country and race. Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2024 They were also joined by band members Larry Campbell on fiddle and guitarist Joe Gore, Rankin told Rolling Stone. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 9 Feb. 2024 Their love story dates back to 2003, when Isbell first saw Shires playing the fiddle in Billy Joe Shaver's band. Shania Russell, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
For instance, with some fiddling, theorists might find that supernova shock waves can compress smaller gas clouds and help them to collapse into pairs of tiny stars more readily than expected. Charlie Wood, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2023 Theo woke to the sound of fiddling and scraping in her room but didn’t take the blanket from over her head. Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 The parties unite behind fiddling, while the nation races off a financial cliff risking bankruptcy in our lifetime. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024 Plus, each one comes with three presets, for those who don’t want to fiddle and just want to rock. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2023 Editor’s picks Flatland Cavalry is Cordero (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jason Albers (drums, percussion), Jonathan Saenz (bass, background vocals), Reid Dillon (electric guitar), Wesley Hall (fiddle), and Adam Gallegos (keys). Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023 Special mention goes to the blazing final movement fiddling of concertmaster Audrey Wright (also of the New York Philharmonic). Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 For Buffett, escapism was not merely something fun, some fiddling flight of fancy that can be taken up or discarded at will. Drew M. Dalton, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2023 The pub of course is the warm heart of the community, with fiddlers fiddling while customers enjoy a Guinness (Babycham for the ladies) and sometimes dance a jig. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiddle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fithele, fethill, fydel, going back to Old English *fithele (assumed from the derivative fithelere "fiddler"), going back to Germanic *fiþlō- (whence Middle Dutch vedele "stringed instrument," Old High German fidula, fidala, Old Norse fiðla), perhaps of onomatopoeic origin

Note: See note at viol.

Verb

Middle English fithelyn, fydelin, derivative of fithele, fydel fiddle entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiddle was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fiddle

Cite this Entry

“Fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddle. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fiddle

1 of 2 noun
fid·​dle ˈfid-ᵊl How to pronounce fiddle (audio)

fiddle

2 of 2 verb
fiddled; fiddling
ˈfid-liŋ,
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to play on a fiddle
2
a
: to move the hands or fingers restlessly
b
: to spend time in aimless activity
c
fiddler
ˈfid-lər How to pronounce fiddle (audio)
-ᵊl-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fiddle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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