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

Once you’re done cleaning, this nifty vacuum empties debris into its base, and that means no fiddling with a bag or canister after every use. —Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

The league will launch three new stats during the 2025-26 season based on its player tracking data that could increase access to the information teams have been fiddling with for years. —Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

The result is a minimalist, and amusing, website, with models who move around, sit on handmade chairs, fiddle with their hair, and play around with the clothes. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025

To be sure, Congress has fiddled with the deduction from time to time, especially in recent years. —Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025