Definition of twiddle
twiddled
;twiddling
play \ˈtwid-liŋ, ˈtwi-dəl-iŋ\intransitive verb
1 : to play negligently with something : fiddle
2 : to turn or jounce lightly twiddles round and round in the water — J. B. S. Haldane
transitive verb
: to rotate lightly or idly twiddled his pen
twiddle one's thumbs
: to spend time idly : do nothing
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Examples of twiddle in a Sentence
Just twiddle the dial on the radio a bit for better reception.
Twiddle the knob on the telescope until things are in focus.
She twiddled her pen while she talked on the phone.
She twiddled with her pen while she talked on the phone.
Recent Examples of twiddle from the Web
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The electronic producer twiddled knobs and triggered samples with a glowing Ableton controller, laying out a shimmering, shifting beat as endless as a California summer.
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That's a long time to be sitting there twiddling your thumbs.
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The idea that age could be manipulated by twiddling a few control knobs ignited a research boom, and soon various clinical indignities had increased the worm’s life span by a factor of ten and those of lab mice by a factor of two.
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Rather than sitting around twiddling your thumbs find ways to be more productive.
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But the scouts might spend some thumb-twiddling afternoons, as pitchers avoid throwing baseballs anywhere near Lewis.
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Players began twiddling the tips of their fingers in Yates’s direction, as if trying to cast a jinx.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'twiddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of twiddle
origin unknown
First Known Use of twiddle
1774
TWIDDLE Defined for English Language Learners
twiddle
playDefinition of twiddle for English Language Learners
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: to turn (something) back and forth slightly
TWIDDLE Defined for Kids
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