fiddle
noun
\
Definition of fiddle
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
fiddle
verb
ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ
\
Definition of fiddle (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to play on a fiddle
1 : to play (something) on a fiddle fiddle a tune
3 : to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain accountants fiddling the books— Stanley Cohen
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Other Words from fiddle
Verb
ˈfi-dᵊl-ər
\
noun
Synonyms for fiddle
Synonyms: Verb
beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, con, cozen, defraud, do, do in, fleece, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hustle, mulct, pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, swindle, victimize
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Examples of fiddle in a Sentence
Noun
an expert with the fiddle arrested for a tax fiddleVerb
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
Around, a collection of fine-spun harmonies written to fiddles, ukulele and banjo, and co-produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Paul McCartney). — Tatiana Cirisano, Billboard, "Folk Power Trio I'm With Her On Crafting Its Name Before Hillary Clinton's Campaign," 26 Jan. 2018 The rest of the night saw the stage of the town hall graced with entertainment from around the world, including performances by students from the Intensive Education Academy, Irish fiddle players, South American art and folklore music, and more. — Courant Community, "Hello! West Hartford Hosts Annual Cultural Celebration," 9 May 2018 Auerbach was joined on stage by a band that featured Cathy Grady on fiddle, viola and acoustic guitar; her husband, Michael Grady, on electric guitar; keyboardist Russell Flanagan; upright bassist Kevin Martinez; and drummer Danny Tommy Jenkins. — Chuck Yarborough, cleveland.com, "Chuck Auerbach follows in the footsteps of his Black Keys son with Beachland gig (concert review)," 4 May 2018 Parker was the most prideful man ever to set his ego aside, over and over and over again, and willingly play third fiddle. — Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, "Parker’s pride drove Spurs until the end," 6 July 2018 And the Lopez family is caught in the middle, in need of treatments to regain full use of their hands so Angel can again type his television scripts and Theo can again play bluegrass music on his fiddle. — Stephanie O'neill, Washington Post, "Father’s And Son’s Injuries Lead To The Mother Of All Therapy Bills," 29 June 2018 Eddy, who sings and plays the fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass, will add her talent to this foot-stomping event. — Lisa Gueli Regnante, Howard County Times, "Old-time folk music stars kick off Glen Mar concerts [Ellicott City]," 21 June 2018 His face was plastered on front pages across the state and across evening newscasts, while his opponent, Gov. Rick Scott, saw his latest trip to Puerto Rico relegated to second-fiddle status. — Alex Daugherty, miamiherald, "Kids separated from their parents in Homestead are at the center of a political fight," 20 June 2018 The sound was clear and enjoyable across the spectrum, from high Celtic fiddles, to the Carters freestyle rapping about Forbes lists, to the growly guitars of Garbage. — Adrienne So, WIRED, "The Best Wireless Workout Headphones," 11 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
So Lei devised elaborate ways to fiddle with anything high-tech. — Charlie Cambell/beijing, Time, "Lei Jun Wants to Be China’s Answer to Steve Jobs. But Trump’s Trade War Is Getting In His Way," 12 July 2018 Artists and others have found Indiana's block of love irresistible, and have fiddled with it endlessly. — Mary Louise Schumacher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sculpture Milwaukee placing Robert Indiana's 'LOVE' in front of Northwestern Mutual tower," 9 May 2018 On an April flight to Atlanta, a school-age boy spent the two-hour trip from Miami alternating between kicking the back of my seat, fiddling with the tray table, and resisting efforts by his beleaguered mother to control him. — Ana Veciana-suarez, miamiherald, "Buckle up! Air travel has become turbulent in more ways than one," 18 June 2018 Under Del Bosque and Lopetegui, Spain has never been shy about fiddling around with their attacking front. — Juan Pimiento, chicagotribune.com, "Brazil without Neymar, Spain's striker dilemma and the best of the FIFA friendlies," 22 Mar. 2018 Less than a year after impeaching one president for fiddling fiscal accounts, her successor is on the ropes amid allegations of graft. — Bloomberg.com, "Brazil’s Real Problem Is Economics -- Not Graft," 22 May 2017 Eventually, the awkward silences and nervous fiddling begin to sap energy from the plot rather than fuel it. — Matthew J. Palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Slow to build, 'Gidion's Knot' pays off in tangle of wrenching emotions," 28 June 2018 Their shows include multi-harmonized vocals, instrumentals, country fiddling a capella hymns, pop jazz, standard and country music. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 19 June 2018 News footage showed the man with the flag, holding onto the enormous red crane, at times fiddling with a rope. — Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, "Hollywood Crane Climber Held in Hospital for Mental Evaluation," 9 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fiddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Statistics for fiddle
Last Updated
6 Nov 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for fiddle
The first known use of fiddle was in the 13th century
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More Definitions for fiddle
fiddle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of fiddle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a dishonest way of getting money
fiddle
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of fiddle (Entry 2 of 2)
: to play a violin
: to secretly change (something, such as information) in a harmful or dishonest way
See the full definition for fiddle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
fiddle
noun
\
Kids Definition of fiddle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: violin
fiddle
verbKids Definition of fiddle (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to play on a fiddle
2 : to move the hands or fingers restlessly She kept fiddling with her ring.
3 : to spend time in aimless activity They fiddled around and accomplished nothing.
4 : to change or handle in a useless way He fiddled with the controls.
5 : to handle in a harmful or foolish way : tamper Someone has been fiddling with the lock.
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