1
: a food paste made usually with egg and shaped typically in ribbon form
2
: a buoyant, flexible cylinder of polyethylene foam used as an aid in swimming or staying afloat in water
Grasp the pool noodle with hands about shoulder-width apart, then extend arms straight out in front of you on the water's surface …—
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
noodled; noodling
ˈnüd-liŋ,
ˈnü-dᵊl-iŋ
: to improvise on an instrument in an informal or desultory manner
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Examples of noodle in a Sentence
Verb
He was just noodling around on the guitar.
It's a thought I've been noodling around with for some time.
Recent Examples on the WebEric Kim, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
However, there are plenty of ways to enjoy them, including in sandwiches and noodle dishes or as a standalone snack.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Rd, Health, 18 Nov. 2023
Make beef rolls, turkey rice, cucumber salad, noodle soups flecked with garlic chives and studded with shrimp.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
The 67-story Fontainebleau Las Vegas will open in December with 3,700 rooms and a ton of buzzy restaurants, including a Casa Dragones Tasting Room and a Chinese noodle den from the restaurateur behind Wagamama and Hakkasan.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023
That includes a noodle factory in College Point; a viral purveyor of scallion-pancake burritos that until recently served exclusively from its fire escape; and a spot serving up Cantonese classics in Homecrest, one of the city’s smallest satellite Chinatowns neighboring Sheepshead Bay.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 13 Nov. 2023
Cold Tahini Noodles With Vegetables A cold noodle salad such as this one is a great option for a packed lunch since there’s no need to reheat it.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
Of course, eggs are also an essential ingredient for baking sweet and savory recipes, including fresh bread, cookies, cakes, homemade noodles, and more.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Nov. 2023
And Jewish noodle kugel often features a pile of buttery, cinnamony cornflakes.
—Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 4 Nov. 2023
Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023
September 1 Saucy cumin noodles This recipe by Bon Appétit contributor Zaynab Issa has been on my list for a long time.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 1 Sep. 2023
And yet, time spent searching, noodling, and browsing online tends to feel narrow and airless, like being led toward an unforeseeable, and too often, regrettable conclusion.
—Suzannah Showler, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
Layer lasagna noodles into the bottom of a 13-x-9-inch glass baking dish rubbed with olive oil and cut garlic.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 29 July 2023
For the past 70-plus years, Lotus has been noodling around in Norfolk, England, building the sort of cars whose simplicity and purity are admired by many and purchased by few.
—Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 10 July 2023
The boy noodled with seashells as his grandfather cast.
—Sarah A. Topol Glenna Gordon, New York Times, 7 July 2023
And these are facets that get lost in the kidnapping and in philosophical noodling about circles that nobody can deliver convincingly.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2023
Shirataki noodles Shirataki noodles are translucent Japanese noodles that come from a plant native to Asia.
—Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 3 June 2023
See More
Noun
At Olle, the bustling Korean restaurant on East 30th Street in Manhattan, the morning starts with noodle dough.
—Eric Kim, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
However, there are plenty of ways to enjoy them, including in sandwiches and noodle dishes or as a standalone snack.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Rd, Health, 18 Nov. 2023
Make beef rolls, turkey rice, cucumber salad, noodle soups flecked with garlic chives and studded with shrimp.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
The 67-story Fontainebleau Las Vegas will open in December with 3,700 rooms and a ton of buzzy restaurants, including a Casa Dragones Tasting Room and a Chinese noodle den from the restaurateur behind Wagamama and Hakkasan.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023
That includes a noodle factory in College Point; a viral purveyor of scallion-pancake burritos that until recently served exclusively from its fire escape; and a spot serving up Cantonese classics in Homecrest, one of the city’s smallest satellite Chinatowns neighboring Sheepshead Bay.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 13 Nov. 2023
Cold Tahini Noodles With Vegetables A cold noodle salad such as this one is a great option for a packed lunch since there’s no need to reheat it.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
Of course, eggs are also an essential ingredient for baking sweet and savory recipes, including fresh bread, cookies, cakes, homemade noodles, and more.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Nov. 2023
And Jewish noodle kugel often features a pile of buttery, cinnamony cornflakes.
—Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 4 Nov. 2023
Verb
Regular lasagna noodles with wavy edges will add more texture to the final dish.
—Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023
September 1 Saucy cumin noodles This recipe by Bon Appétit contributor Zaynab Issa has been on my list for a long time.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 1 Sep. 2023
And yet, time spent searching, noodling, and browsing online tends to feel narrow and airless, like being led toward an unforeseeable, and too often, regrettable conclusion.
—Suzannah Showler, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
Layer lasagna noodles into the bottom of a 13-x-9-inch glass baking dish rubbed with olive oil and cut garlic.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 29 July 2023
For the past 70-plus years, Lotus has been noodling around in Norfolk, England, building the sort of cars whose simplicity and purity are admired by many and purchased by few.
—Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 10 July 2023
The boy noodled with seashells as his grandfather cast.
—Sarah A. Topol Glenna Gordon, New York Times, 7 July 2023
And these are facets that get lost in the kidnapping and in philosophical noodling about circles that nobody can deliver convincingly.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2023
Shirataki noodles Shirataki noodles are translucent Japanese noodles that come from a plant native to Asia.
—Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 3 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noodle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Noodle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noodle. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
noodle
noun
noo·dle
ˈnüd-ᵊl
: a thin strip of dough made from flour, water, and usually eggs and cooked by boiling
More from Merriam-Webster on noodle
Nglish: Translation of noodle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about noodle
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