meddle

verb med·dle \ ˈme-dᵊl \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

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Examples: meddle in a Sentence

Definition of meddle

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

intransitive verb

: to interest oneself in what is not one's concern : interfere without right or propriety (see propriety 3)

I never meddle in other people's private affairs
—G. B. Shaw

—

meddler

play \ˈmed-lər, ˈme-dᵊl-ər\ noun

See meddle defined for English-language learners

See meddle defined for kids

Examples of meddle in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of meddle from the Web

Obviously, Russia was trying to meddle in the election, mainly through cyber-espionage—hacking.

— jay willis, GQ, "Spygate: How Right-Wing Media Creates a Conspiracy Theory Out of Thin Air," 23 May 2018
Unlike his popular mother, Charles has a controversial history of trying to meddle in politics.

— NBC News, "British anti-monarchy activists won't be cheering royal wedding," 17 May 2018
In February, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians on charges of attempting to meddle in the 2016 election, including several people associated with the Internet Research Agency.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "More Than Half of Russian Facebook Ads Focused on Race," 12 May 2018
That day, intelligence officials, including Comey, briefed the incoming president on Russia’s attempt to meddle with the election.

— michael d. shear and peter baker, BostonGlobe.com, "In interview, James Comey launches all-out war with Trump," 16 Apr. 2018
Also, the latest revelations come alongside a year’s worth of evidence that Russia has used digital tactics to meddle in US and other recent elections.

— laurent belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "Facebook uproar: Should personal data drive political ads?," 21 Mar. 2018
Putin denies having tried to meddle in the last U.S. presidential election.

— colin dueck, National Review, "How to Defend the West," 7 Feb. 2018
Both Page and Strzok worked on the Clinton case and the probe, led by Mueller, into whether agents of Russia may have coordinated with Trump associates to try to meddle with the 2016 presidential election.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Missing FBI official text messages recovered, inspector general says," 25 Jan. 2018
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates colluded with Moscow’s election-meddling efforts, which Mr. Trump has denied.

— rebecca ballhaus, WSJ, "Trump Says He Expects to ‘Get Along’ With Putin at Summit," 12 July 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of meddle

Middle English medlen, from Anglo-French mesler, medler, from Vulgar Latin *misculare, from Latin miscēre to mix — more at mix

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First Known Use: 14th century

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meddle Synonyms

MEDDLE Defined for English Language Learners

meddle

verb

Definition of meddle for English Language Learners

: to become involved in the activities and concerns of other people when your involvement is not wanted
: to change or handle something in a way that is unwanted or harmful

MEDDLE Defined for Kids

meddle

verb med·dle \ ˈme-dᵊl \

Definition of meddle for Students

meddled; meddling

: to be overly involved in someone else's business

Synonym Discussion of 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.