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

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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

The intelligence community says the Russians meddled to help Trump hurt Hillary. — Fox News, "Rudy Giuliani: Strzok's defense is ridiculous, pathetic," 13 July 2018 Adora wants Camille to stop meddling in the investigation and bringing shame to the family. — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, "Review: 'Sharp Objects' pierces slowly but cuts deeply, and Amy Adams is phenomenal," 6 July 2018 The Fox News Sunday host also intends to question Putin on the allegations surrounding possible Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election and the upcoming 2018 election. — Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, "Chris Wallace Set to Interview Putin After Trump Helsinki Summit," 13 July 2018 People who meddle in every part of the creative process. — Mike Reiss, WSJ, "How to Succeed Like ‘The Simpsons’," 25 May 2018 Mueller also has indicted 13 Russian individuals working for the Internet Research Agency accused of running an elaborate scheme to meddle in the U.S. elections. — Tom Lobianco, The Seattle Times, "Dems’ lawsuit alleges conspiracy between Trump camp, Russia," 21 Apr. 2018 Hurd also touched on the funding for election security grants included in the omnibus, citing the importance of preventing Russia from again meddling in U.S. elections. — Jasper Scherer, San Antonio Express-News, "Hurd talks DACA fix, spending bill, election security at chamber luncheon," 29 Mar. 2018 Rosenstein was able to explain in excruciating detail some of the evidence that would support the intelligence chiefs' certain conclusion that Russia meddled in our election. — Jennifer Rubin, Anchorage Daily News, "What has changed in the Russia investigation?," 18 Feb. 2018 The indictment said the Russians hacked into Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic Party and released tens of thousands of private communications as part of a broad conspiracy by the Kremlin to meddle in an American election. — CBS News, "Trump responds to Russian hacking indictment by blaming Obama administration," 14 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.