meddle

verb

med·​dle ˈme-dᵊl 

meddled; meddling

ˈmed-liŋ, 

ˈme-dᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

: 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 …

—George Bernard Shaw

meddler

ˈmed-lər  ˈme-dᵊl-ər 

noun

Synonyms of meddle

• interfere
• mess

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 gods stay largely out of sight In Homer’s original poem, the gods hold meetings, argue, play favorites and meddle so routinely in human affairs that Athena is practically a second protagonist. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

This is the fourth installment, with Red (daughter of the Queen of Hearts) and Chloe Charming (daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming) coming to terms with the consequences of meddling with the timeline in the last movie. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026

Trump is also expected to allege that China has meddled in US elections, CBS News reported this week. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 16 July 2026

On Tuesday night, the Maine Democratic Party publicly accused the campaign of meddling in the succession process. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 9 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for meddle

• bedell
• heddle
• medal
• pedal
• peddle
• wedel
• bipedal
• intermeddle

Kids Definition

meddle

verb

med·​dle ˈmed-ᵊl 

meddled; meddling ˈmed-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to interest oneself in what is not one's concern

meddle in another's business

meddler

ˈmed-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun