meddle

verb

med·dle | \ ˈme-dᵊl

meddled; meddling\ ˈmed-liŋ , ˈme-dᵊl-iŋ

Definition of meddle

: to interest oneself in what is not one's concern : interfere without right or propriety (see propriety sense 1) I never meddle in other people's private affairs— G. B. Shaw

Other Words from meddle Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about meddle

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Choose the Right Synonym for meddle

meddle, interfere, and tamper mean to get involved with something that is someone else's business. meddle is used for intruding in an inconsiderate and annoying fashion. Don't meddle in her personal life. interfere is used for getting in the way of or disturbing someone or something whether intentionally or not. I tried to give advice without interfering. tamper is used for intruding or experimenting in a way that is wrong or uncalled-for and likely to be harmful. Someone had tampered with the lock.

Examples of meddle in a Sentence

please stop meddling in your sister's marriage, even though you mean well

Recent Examples on the Web

And so began Stone’s role in the other matter he has been accused of meddling in. — Andrew Beaton And Shelby Holliday, WSJ, "How Roger Stone Entangled Himself in the NFL’s Concussion Settlement," 8 Feb. 2019 When asked if meddling by Russia has already begun, both Lapowsky and Guglielmo said yes. — CBS News, "How should Silicon Valley handle election meddling?," 2 July 2018 The revelations about possible Saudi and UAE meddling take things to a much higher level. — Will Bunch, Philly.com, "How the Trump family sold U.S. foreign policy to the highest bidder | Will Bunch," 20 May 2018 Iran’s leaders are suspicious of Russia’s upgraded relationships with Israel and Saudi Arabia; many Iranians are wary of depending on a regime that, like the U.S., has so often meddled in its affairs. — Angela Stent, WSJ, "Vladimir Putin’s Big Push Into the Middle East," 15 Feb. 2019 The new election date also could force Mr. Mandelblit to wait until after the vote, for fear that an announcement too close to the election would be seen as meddling in the democratic process. — Dov Lieber, WSJ, "Netanyahu Bets on Security, Foreign Policy to Win Snap Israeli Election, but Victory No Sure Thing," 25 Dec. 2018 Nominally, Parker and Stone are libertarians, professing a straight-down-the-middle empathy for the little guy who just wants to be left alone by meddling political and cultural forces. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Alt-right internet mobs are attacking celebrities with their own jokes. The irony is stark.," 27 July 2018 Its government attempted to meddle in our elections and is planning on doing so again in this year. — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "American Nationalists Are Awfully Quiet about Russia," 16 Feb. 2018 If a rogue scientist tinkering quietly in a lab can smash through norms, local laws, and meddle with the human genome to feed his own ego or scientific curiosity, the worry is that many more dangerous applications of CRISPR could be in store. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "Is the CRISPR baby controversy the start of a terrifying new chapter in gene editing?," 22 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.