noodle

1 of 3

noun (1)

noo·​dle ˈnü-dᵊl How to pronounce noodle (audio)
1
: a stupid person : simpleton
2

noodle

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
: a food paste made usually with egg and shaped typically in ribbon form
2
: a buoyant, flexible cylinder of polyethylene foam used as an aid in swimming or staying afloat in water
Grasp the pool noodle with hands about shoulder-width apart, then extend arms straight out in front of you on the water's surface …Good Housekeeping

noodle

3 of 3

verb

noodled; noodling
ˈnüd-liŋ,
ˈnü-dᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce noodle (audio)

intransitive verb

: to improvise on an instrument in an informal or desultory manner

Examples of noodle in a Sentence

Verb He was just noodling around on the guitar. It's a thought I've been noodling around with for some time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The restaurant is offering a prix-fixe dinner ($45) that includes shrimp-mousse toast, vegan coconut cakes, massaman curry, drunken noodles, mango sticky rice and Thai tea panna cotta. John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The noodles, shipped to him by his subscribers, are intensely spicy. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Tables were stacked with trays of Nebula Nebulae parfaits (spiced chocolate and vanilla mousse) and platters of Atreides Delicacies (rice noodles, harissa, sesame oil). Mike Isaac, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 For this reason, married Taiwanese daughters return home on leap day to cook pig trotter noodles, a dish made with pig's feet, for their parents, which is thought to bring them good fortune and health. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 29 Feb. 2024 Some people make this dish with noodle dumplings, which are flat strips of dough cooked in the soup, rather than on top of it. Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 Daruma also has a hot water dispenser for making tea and instant cup noodles, and outdoor patio seating. Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 29 Feb. 2024 One of my primary hobbies is riding the subway all over New York City in search of the next life-changing bowl of noodles or slice of pizza. Carina Finn, Bon Appétit, 27 Feb. 2024 Don't miss the eggplant parmesan, roasted baby octopus, organic veal skirt steak, or the burrata. 14 of 42 Joy Yee's Noodle Shop Address: 2139 S China Place Phone: (312) 328-0001 Website Joy Yee's Noodle Shop has perhaps the most expansive menu of noodles in Chicago. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
For the ravioli, a machine presses noodles together to create rows of pasta pockets. Allison Dikanovic, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024 First, there are companies noodling on new forms of computers — like glasses, jewelry, robots or pager-like doodads that are supposedly tailored for AI. Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024 That dimension is that noodling is fun as hell, and challenging. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023 The results can be discomfiting, as when the camera shows us two characters sitting in a parking lot through a bank window, with a teller noodling around in the foreground. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023 Regular lasagna noodles with wavy edges will add more texture to the final dish. Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023 September 1 Saucy cumin noodles This recipe by Bon Appétit contributor Zaynab Issa has been on my list for a long time. The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 1 Sep. 2023 And yet, time spent searching, noodling, and browsing online tends to feel narrow and airless, like being led toward an unforeseeable, and too often, regrettable conclusion. Suzannah Showler, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023 Layer lasagna noodles into the bottom of a 13-x-9-inch glass baking dish rubbed with olive oil and cut garlic. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 29 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noodle.' 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 (1)

perhaps alteration of noddle

Noun (2)

German Nudel

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of noodle was in 1720

Dictionary Entries Near noodle

Cite this Entry

“Noodle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noodle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

noodle

noun
noo·​dle
ˈnüd-ᵊl
: a thin strip of dough made from flour, water, and usually eggs and cooked by boiling

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