meddle

verb med·dle \ ˈme-dᵊl \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

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

Also in store for the sixth season is Chloe’s fifth birthday, Grayson’s attempt to break a world record, and Chase — who is newly single — getting pay back on his father for meddling in his love life.

— natalie stone, PEOPLE.com, "Southern Sass and Passing Gas! Watch the Hilarious Chrisley Knows Best Season 6 Trailer," 12 Apr. 2018
AngloGold did not campaign against the Cajamarca vote, keen to avoid accusations of meddling in local democracy.

— julia symmes cobb and nelson bocanegra, The Christian Science Monitor, "Colombian municipality seeks local self-determination to protect mining," 11 Apr. 2018
The pages associated with the Internet Research Agency, which Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, accused of meddling in the election, occupied different places on the political spectrum.

— peter eavis, New York Times, "Facebook Still Faces Questions About Russia’s Reach," 9 Apr. 2018
And company executives have been called before Congress to explain how Russians used Facebook to allegedly meddle in the election.

— erin cox, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland legislature passes plan to regulate political ads on Facebook, billed as nation's first such policy," 6 Apr. 2018
That followed a string of scandals, including revelations that Russia used its platform to meddle in U.S. elections.

— barbara ortutay, Houston Chronicle, "Facebook executive disavows his own provocative memo," 30 Mar. 2018
Pearce says the prospect of meddling with immune cell metabolism to treat diseases frightens some of her colleagues, who fear crippling the body's entire defense system or harming other vital cells.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "To treat some diseases, researchers are putting immune cells on a diet," 29 Mar. 2018
Playboy has reportedly deleted their Facebook page following headlines that a data firm allegedly used users' information to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

— Fox News, "Playboy deletes Facebook page, claims contradiction of values," 28 Mar. 2018
Mueller has already indicted 13 Russians and three companies accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign.

— recode staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: With a subpoena, special counsel Robert Mueller brings the Russia investigation closer to President Trump," 16 Mar. 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

in the meaning defined above

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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.