fiddle

noun

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fid·dle | \ ˈfi-dᵊl

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

4 [fiddle entry 2] chiefly British : swindle

fiddle

verb

fiddled; fiddling\ ˈfid-liŋ

, ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ \

Definition of fiddle (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to play on a fiddle

2a : 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

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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 This not only captures many of the playful aspects of rural entertainment but, along the way, shares how fiddle music traveled upriver to Alaska villages and was adapted into cultural practices. — Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, "Journey to Interior Alaska and its peopled past with this joyful, lyrical memoir," 13 June 2020 Danzig doesn’t transform any of these tracks into speed-metal songs or fiddle around with the melodies. — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, "Glenn Danzig Sings Elvis," 12 May 2020 At one point, recording at the legendary RCA Studio A in Nashville with his longtime producer, Dave Cobb, Isbell complained that Shires’s fiddle was too loud. — David Peisner, New York Times, "Jason Isbell, Self-Doubt and the Album That Tested His Marriage," 11 May 2020 Potted philodendron trails down my bookcase, majesty palm and fiddle leaf fig trees flank my living room sofa, and a variety of succulents and cacti dot countertops and tables. — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, "Elevate Your Houseplant Collection with These Pretty Wall Planters Under $50," 7 Apr. 2020 The couple were framed by a fiddle-leaf fig in one corner, and just the faintest glimpse of their hallway. — Daniel Wolfe, Quartz, "When your friends get married on Zoom because of a coronavirus pandemic," 22 Mar. 2020 The band includes: Andra Velis Simon, conductor/keyboard; Steven Romero Schaeffe, guitars; Emma Sheikh, fiddle and Tina Muñoz Pandya, drums. — Hannah Herrera Greenspan, chicagotribune.com, "Booked it! Chicago casting announcements for August 15," 16 Aug. 2019 The two of them add fiddles, strings, stomps and claps to give the song an ambiance of full Celtic drama. — Robbie Daw, Billboard, "'Songland' Recap: Gun Violence Casts a Shadow Over Macklemore Episode," 15 Aug. 2019 In Strayer's hands, the twang of a banjo is the sound of support and understanding, and Maguire's fiddle somehow has compassion and gravitas. — Danielle Pergament, Allure, "The Dixie Chicks on the Price of Being Genuine," 6 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The behavior remains as a vestige in our small gestures, such as when mothers fiddle with their toddlers’ hair. — Rebecca Renner, National Geographic, "Why some people can't resist crowds despite the pandemic," 24 June 2020 Aid agencies fear that Mr Johnson’s government will try to fiddle the definition of foreign aid in order to hit the 0.7% target. — The Economist, "A Boris bombshell in Whitehall British diplomats and donors are told to merge," 20 June 2020 Oettinger was fiddling around with ways to mesh his distinctive background — 26 years as a disc jockey, master of ceremonies and auctioneer — and the Bay Area’s new shelter-in-place reality. — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, "Would you pay to watch giraffes and monkeys while sheltered in place? Oakland Zoo is banking on it," 4 Apr. 2020 Verdict: Gnog is an extremely relaxing game about fiddling with surreal puzzle boxes. — Steven Strom, Ars Technica, "Gnog Review: Short and sweet puzzle unboxing," 12 Aug. 2018 The experts were not thrilled about the fact that patients can’t wear a mask while someone is fiddling around with their mouth, but had confidence in dentists’ procedures for minimizing the risk of infections of any kind. — Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, "A Guide to Staying Safe as States Reopen," 7 May 2020 Then there are other vehicles swooping by, a droning straightaway, some fiddling with the car radio and some blissful cruising on motifs that were slipped into the song early on. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "Florian Schneider’s 10 Essential Songs, in Kraftwerk and Beyond," 7 May 2020 Somehow, while fiddling with bloody hands, President Trump managed to impose his ban on alien-arrivals from China on January 31, one day after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. — Deroy Murdock, National Review, "Democrats Block Job-Saving Program," 19 Apr. 2020 Of course, your own travel needs will vary, but consider extending or fiddling with your itinerary to get more bang from your wedding buck. — Washington Post, "Should I use points and miles to book wedding travel?," 26 Feb. 2020

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.