fiddle

noun fid·dle \ ˈfi-dᵊl \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of fiddle

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

[²fiddle]

chiefly British :swindle

See fiddle defined for English-language learners

See fiddle defined for kids

Examples of fiddle in a Sentence

an expert with the fiddle
arrested for a tax fiddle

Recent Examples of fiddle from the Web

Bluegrass band stage show; banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bass workshops; and jamming.

— michelle jenkins, idahostatesman, "Pumpkins, football and FitOne…yep, September is just around the corner," 25 Aug. 2017
In Buffalo, Darby played second-fiddle to the Bills’ other corner, Stephon Gilmore, who signed with New England in the off-season.

— paul domowitch, Philly.com, "Eagles' Ronald Darby takes rough night in stride," 25 Aug. 2017
Lillie Mae agreed and went on the road playing fiddle and singing in his backing band.

— chrissie dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Lillie Mae isn't trying to rebel," 24 Aug. 2017
Lauterbach got his first guitar at the age of 13, started playing the mandolin at 18 and the fiddle at 52, according to the website.

— emily sorensen, Pomerado News, "The Shirthouse Band performs bluegrass Saturday at Poway Library," 10 Aug. 2017
If that’s true, why did Emanuel play the media like a fiddle by dribbling out details of the lawsuit over a three-day period?

— vanityfair.com, "Even ISIS Can’t Resist Criticizing the Media," 9 Aug. 2017
If that’s true, why did Emanuel play the media like a fiddle by dribbling out details of the lawsuit over a three-day period?

— The Hive, "Even ISIS Can’t Resist Criticizing the Media," 9 Aug. 2017
Having bled off so much energy, the test pilot then masterfully plays his plane like a fiddle, using his engines and control surfaces to put the plane into a slow horizontal spin.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "This Su-35 Flight Demo Will Make Your Head Explode," 20 July 2017
Never mind the fact that only Shires had something of substance to offer with her fiddle solos.

— bill schulz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 11: The Shins, Mondo Cozmo neatly close out the Big Gig," 10 July 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of fiddle

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.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

fiddle Synonyms

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

fiddle

verb

Definition of fiddle

fiddled; fiddling play \ˈfid-liŋ, 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 :meddle, tamper

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 :cheat, swindle

3 :to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain

accountants fiddling the books
—Stanley Cohen

—

fiddler

play \ˈfid-lər, ˈfi-dᵊl-ər\ noun

See fiddle defined for English-language learners

Examples of fiddle in a Sentence

Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin

Recent Examples of fiddle from the Web

And the devil, his fiddling contest opponent, did not get his soul.

— author: tamara ikenberg, Alaska Dispatch News, "Zac Brown Band welcomes fans into the fold at Alaska Airlines Center," 12 Aug. 2017
Alongside him, teammate Dominic Trolio, a third baseman, fiddled with the straps on his blue batting gloves and reflected on his emotions.

— amanda morris, Courant Community, "West Hartford Youth Baseball Team Advances To World Series," 2 Aug. 2017
Another possibility involved the propaganda value of fiddling with a voting machine.

— massimo calabresi, Time, "Inside the Secret Plan to Stop Vladimir Putin’s U.S. Election Plot," 21 July 2017
If Nero fiddled as the world burned, we in 2017 fidget-spinned—and made memes about it.

— chelsea peng, Marie Claire, "The 11 Most Essential Memes of 2017," 20 July 2017
Imagine popping a pair of Beats-like headphones on your head, fiddling with some settings, and becoming a better skiier.

— lisa fu, Fortune, "This Headset Could Help Both Skiers and Stroke Victims Get Off-The-Charts Results," 18 July 2017
For a minute there's silence as the DJ seems to fiddle with his equipment.

— alexandra holterman, Billboard, "Demi Lovato Was 'Sorry Not Sorry' At Listening Party in LA," 11 July 2017
In fiddling with perception, Yi operates at an intensely timely moment, when the language of persuasion plays out explicitly across newspaper opinion pages and on Facebook feeds.

— jane yong kim, The Atlantic, "Anicka Yi’s Strangely Persuasive World of Smells," 25 June 2017
There was really no point at all in trashing the modest opening to Cuba under Obama, poisoning relations, and then just fiddling with the details.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "The Perverse Presidency of Donald Trump," 23 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of fiddle

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

fiddle Synonyms

Synonyms

fidget, jerk, jig, jiggle, squiggle, squirm, thrash, thresh, toss, twist, twitch, wiggle, wriggle, writhe

Related Words

flit, flutter, twitter; quake, quiver, shake, shiver, shudder, tremble; pace

Near Antonyms

relax, rest, unwind; calm (down), still

British Definition of FIDDLE

fiddle

noun

British Definition of fiddle

[ ²fiddle ]

:swindle

FIDDLE Defined for English Language Learners

fiddle

noun

Definition of fiddle for English Language Learners

: a dishonest way of getting money

fiddle

verb

Definition of fiddle for English Language Learners

: to play a violin
: to secretly change (something, such as information) in a harmful or dishonest way

FIDDLE Defined for Kids

fiddle

noun fid·dle \ ˈfi-dᵊl \

Definition of fiddle for Students

:violin

fiddle

verb

Definition of fiddle for Students

fiddled; fiddling

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.

—

fiddler

\ˈfid-lər\ noun

Learn More about fiddle

See words that rhyme with fiddle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fiddle Spanish Central: Translation of fiddle Nglish: Translation of fiddle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fiddle for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fiddle

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fiddle

Definition of fiddle

From the M-W Editors

Examples of fiddle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fiddle from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fiddle

fiddle Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

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Other Music Terms

fiddle

Definition of fiddle

fiddler

Examples of fiddle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fiddle from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fiddle

fiddle Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to FIDDLE

Related Phrases

British Definition of FIDDLE

fiddle

British Definition of fiddle

FIDDLE Defined for English Language Learners

fiddle

Definition of fiddle for English Language Learners

fiddle

Definition of fiddle for English Language Learners

FIDDLE Defined for Kids

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Definition of fiddle for Students

fiddle

Definition of fiddle for Students

fiddler

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