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 WebPCMAG, 15 Apr. 2024
The fresh noodles cook in a flash in the skillet right alongside the vegetables.
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Asian wheat noodles like udon and lo mein have alkaline salts added to the dough, and they are traditionally cooked in unsalted water.
—Julia Moskin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Cook until noodles are al dente (cooked through but slightly firm) and liquid has been absorbed, about 8 to 9 minutes.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
These bowls of warming aromatic broth, complete with springy hand-cut noodles and fall-apart-tender cuts of beef shank, are his way of paying homage to the noodle shops of juàn cun—the disappearing villages where military dependents settled after departing China in the 1950s.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 28 Mar. 2024
Jenn Harris has a new favorite lunch in Los Angeles: a naked plate of noodles.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Teigen then posed for a snap with Luna and son Miles Theodore, 5, before sharing photos of the family tucking into Thai dishes including noodles.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Instead of the classic thin rice noodles called bihon, cookbook author Abi Balingit prefers udon, which gives the dish a delightful chewy texture.
—Abi Balingit, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
For the ravioli, a machine presses noodles together to create rows of pasta pockets.
—Allison Dikanovic, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
First, there are companies noodling on new forms of computers — like glasses, jewelry, robots or pager-like doodads that are supposedly tailored for AI.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024
That dimension is that noodling is fun as hell, and challenging.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023
The results can be discomfiting, as when the camera shows us two characters sitting in a parking lot through a bank window, with a teller noodling around in the foreground.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
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
Noun
With more than 20 to choose from, the bowls typically feature a base, such as curry or noodles, and a layer, such as Ginger Sesame or Beet Bourguignon.
—PCMAG, 15 Apr. 2024
The fresh noodles cook in a flash in the skillet right alongside the vegetables.
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Asian wheat noodles like udon and lo mein have alkaline salts added to the dough, and they are traditionally cooked in unsalted water.
—Julia Moskin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Cook until noodles are al dente (cooked through but slightly firm) and liquid has been absorbed, about 8 to 9 minutes.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
These bowls of warming aromatic broth, complete with springy hand-cut noodles and fall-apart-tender cuts of beef shank, are his way of paying homage to the noodle shops of juàn cun—the disappearing villages where military dependents settled after departing China in the 1950s.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 28 Mar. 2024
Jenn Harris has a new favorite lunch in Los Angeles: a naked plate of noodles.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Teigen then posed for a snap with Luna and son Miles Theodore, 5, before sharing photos of the family tucking into Thai dishes including noodles.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Instead of the classic thin rice noodles called bihon, cookbook author Abi Balingit prefers udon, which gives the dish a delightful chewy texture.
—Abi Balingit, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Cook noodles according to package directions until just al dente.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
For the ravioli, a machine presses noodles together to create rows of pasta pockets.
—Allison Dikanovic, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
First, there are companies noodling on new forms of computers — like glasses, jewelry, robots or pager-like doodads that are supposedly tailored for AI.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024
That dimension is that noodling is fun as hell, and challenging.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023
The results can be discomfiting, as when the camera shows us two characters sitting in a parking lot through a bank window, with a teller noodling around in the foreground.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
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
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 23 Apr. 2024.
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