fiddle

1 of 2

noun

fid·​dle ˈfi-dᵊl 

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

2 of 2

verb

fiddled; fiddling ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ  ˈfid-liŋ 

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

ˈfi-dᵊl-ər 

ˈfid-lər

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• nuts
• nonsense
• jazz
• garbage
• drool
• rubbish
• silliness
• blah
• stupidity
• muck
• beans
• bunk
• fudge
• fiddlesticks

Verb

• fidget
• toss
• twitch
• jerk
• squirm
• twist
• wiggle
• jig

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

As a young boy, Cashel learned to play traditional Irish music on the fiddle, which molded the trajectory of his schooling and early career. —Alyssa Davis, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025

Produced by Trent Willmon (Cody Johnson) and David Mescon (Dasha, Megan Moroney, the album’s latticework of fiddle, steel guitar and acoustic guitar nods to the influence of ‘90s and 2000s female country icons such as Shania Twain and Martina McBride. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025

Verb

But in private, Arthur advises her to exercise a little more discretion in her, um, fiddling. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025

As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace. —Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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.

Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing fiddle

• bass fiddle
• bull fiddle
• fiddle about
• fiddle around
• fiddle away
• fiddle-faddle
• fiddle-footed
• fiddle with
• fit as a fiddle
• play second fiddle
• second fiddle

Rhymes for fiddle

• diddle
• griddle
• middle
• riddle

Kids Definition

fiddle

1 of 2 noun

fid·​dle ˈfid-ᵊl 

: violin sense 1

fiddle

2 of 2 verb

fiddled; fiddling

ˈfid-liŋ,

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to play on a fiddle

2

a

: to move the hands or fingers restlessly

b

: to spend time in aimless activity

c

: meddle, tamper

fiddler

ˈfid-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun