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

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

While pies are often the focus of autumnal baking season, there are so many variations of delicious baked goods that you’re hardly narrowed to just fiddling with a homemade pie crust. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2025

The aircon buttons on the dash can also be made to disappear when you're done fiddling with them. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2025