diddle

verb

ˈdi-dᵊl How to pronounce diddle (audio)
Definition of diddlenext
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
  1. delay
  2. cheat
  3. poke
  4. squeeze
  5. linger
  6. pluck
  7. drag
  8. screw
Verb
  • When that first weekend closure did happen, Sunday night rain did not delay the lanes’ opening early Monday.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 July 2026
  • The midfielder was deemed to have delayed a restart by throwing the ball away.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • For anyone still motivated to cheat, election systems in the United States are designed with multiple layers of protection and transparency intended to stand in the way.
    — Ali Swenson, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
  • The president used California, a favorite target, to hint that Democrats were cheating.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Her breasts poke at the thin fabric of her gown, and there are shadows in the folds of the bed linen.
    — Diane Williams, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
  • This included one of their players poking a finger into the ear of the Belgian penalty-spot protector Diego Moreira, and responding to the reactionary elbow to the tummy by going down, and staying down, on top of the penalty mark.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of poke
Verb
  • Every new theorem ratchets one wall inward, squeezing the gap a little tighter.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 15 July 2026
  • The brain-squeezing rush of those starts is nearly indescribable.
    — Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 15 July 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • The floods drew attention to still unhealed wounds — and lingering regrets.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • But perhaps the performance that lingers most in our minds is that of Elliot Page, 39, who in just a few short scenes anchors the film with his guileless sincerity and righteous anger.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 July 2026
Definition of linger
Verb
  • In all, designing, building and assembling the horse involved a team of 45, not much less than the number of men on Odysseus’ ship (and roughly the same amount on board after the Cyclops and Scylla monsters had plucked off a few).
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 July 2026
  • This current year, though, feels like a regression, with a lineup that, bar one or two interesting choices, mostly feels like it could have been plucked straight out of 2015.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • The untethered AUVs hover above the seabed instead of dragging equipment across it, reducing sediment disturbance and limiting ecosystem disruption.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • Overall, the plan is on par with a request the White House submitted to Congress last month, as the Iran war drags past four months.
    — Kevin Freking, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of drag
Verb
  • Additional updates include a screw-down crown that increases water resistance to 100 meters.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Thus, the outright majority of American voters, the Independents, get royally screwed again in favor of folks who represent about a quarter of Americans, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
Definition of screw
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Phrases Containing diddle

Browse Nearby Words

did by
diddle
diddled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddle. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All