fiddle with

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

There are lot of things that will make the Bentley Torcal an interesting—even compelling—EV, but Bentley simply opted not to fiddle with something that runs counter to its mission. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026

The transformation switched the two fluids, reversed their clocks, and fiddled with the temperature in a particular way. — Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026

Back to the opening sequence, anyway, in which Lê tunes his film’s rhythms while Ninh fiddles with his own sound equipment. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026

Don’t fiddle with your bag in front of taxis, on public transport, or anywhere outside of the airport or station. — Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026