fiddle with
phrasal verb
fiddled with; fiddling with; fiddles with
1
: to move or handle (something) with the hands or fingers in a nervous way
She was nervously fiddling with her pencil as she waited for the test to start.
2
: to change or handle (something, such as the controls of a machine) in a way that shows one is not sure what to do
He was fiddling with the controls of the television, trying to get it to work.
3
: to change (something) in a harmful or foolish way
It became clear that someone had fiddled with the equipment.
Examples of fiddle with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While Diane was still active, the couple had a ball donning overalls and building and fiddling with off-road vehicles that Barnett raced on dirt tracks.
—
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Utility bills go down, as does time spent fiddling with the remote trying to get the heater to behave.
—K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
Nearby, her students are hustling around on a bright blue tarp, rolling out heavy cylinders of compressed gas and fiddling with boxes of electronics.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
Yes, that means a lot of hours spent fighting monsters and fiddling with Materia.
—Andrew Webster, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024
So to drop that window glass, Rivian’s design team had to spend lots of time fiddling with the size of the R2’s back doors.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
Don’t fiddle with phones and cameras or computers the whole time.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024
The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled over whether to fiddle with − or even overturn − a 40-year-old precedent that has guided how federal agencies protect the environment, workers, consumers and more.
—USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024
Of course, the moment the man leaves, Karl starts fiddling with the light, causing one of the few sources of light in the shadowy room to hang askew.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Utility bills go down, as does time spent fiddling with the remote trying to get the heater to behave.
—K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
Nearby, her students are hustling around on a bright blue tarp, rolling out heavy cylinders of compressed gas and fiddling with boxes of electronics.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
Yes, that means a lot of hours spent fighting monsters and fiddling with Materia.
—Andrew Webster, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024
So to drop that window glass, Rivian’s design team had to spend lots of time fiddling with the size of the R2’s back doors.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
Don’t fiddle with phones and cameras or computers the whole time.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024
The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled over whether to fiddle with − or even overturn − a 40-year-old precedent that has guided how federal agencies protect the environment, workers, consumers and more.
—USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024
Of course, the moment the man leaves, Karl starts fiddling with the light, causing one of the few sources of light in the shadowy room to hang askew.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiddle with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fiddle with
Cite this Entry
“Fiddle with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddle%20with. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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