1
as in to delay
to move or act slowly
even though the hurricane was fast approaching, federal and local politicians wasted precious time diddling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
an unscrupulous Broadway producer diddles little old ladies by persuading them to invest in a surefire flop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diddle
Verb
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President Trump delayed his decision on whether attack Iran for two weeks following a Thursday sighting of Steve Bannon at the White House.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025 -
These actions did not fully block the strait but caused sharp increases in shipping insurance premiums and delayed maritime traffic.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
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President Donald Trump's rapid pullback of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has cost Americans at least $18 billion in higher fees and lost compensation for consumers allegedly cheated by major companies, according to an analysis released Tuesday by two organizations.—
Douglas Gillison,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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But they didn’t get cheated this spring, not with three rousing blasts from the past: Against the Pistons, against the Celtics, against the Pacers.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Cunningham came to the defense of her teammate Clark, retaliating with less than a minute left on the clock after, earlier in the game, the Fever's superstar player was poked in the eye and then knocked to the ground by two separate Sun players.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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As Clark backed Sheldon down at the top of the key, Sheldon poked Clark in the eye.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Despite remaining hugely cash-generative at the operating level, outgoings on player transfers, loan interest and the £50million investment at the Carrington training ground have squeezed their ability to spend quite so readily as in the past.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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Team-building is not about squeezing sufficient value out of every single contract or assembling a roster of yes men.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
16 June 2025
Verb
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To make the stakes even higher, Player 39 crawls to the edge after the round ends.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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The next day, at 9:10 p.m., Boelter crawled out of a wooded area and surrendered to law enforcement.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Born and raised in a tiny town northeast of Toronto, she was plucked out of a concert crowd by two modeling scouts.—
John McDermott,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
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Several productive players already were plucked from portal during SDSU’s coaching search, so Vance will need to act quickly to improve the roster.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2025
Verb
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What were the final few days like? Exhausting and dragging on.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
17 June 2025
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But by the late 1970s, as negotiations over a treaty dragged on, Congress grew receptive to industry lobbyists seeking legislation that would protect their investments in mining sites beyond U.S. maritime jurisdiction.—
Time,
Time,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Each time a child left, the emotional toll was unbearable, and the sadness lingered long after they were gone.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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The camera lingers for too long on his pained, Grecian-bust features.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Diddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddle. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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