1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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
  • The fight, Haro said, is about more than extending a lease or delaying an eviction.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Many airlines issue travel waivers during storms or weather advisories, allowing passengers to rebook their flights without any extra fees if it could be impacted or if it gets delayed or canceled.
    — Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • Now there seems to be a petty attempt to call out cheating when no cheating took place.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Around this time, Kingsolver was accused of cheating in a regional essay contest.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Flip and continue to cook until the flesh begins to flake when poked with a fork, 1 to 2 minutes.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Don’t bury the rhizomes when planting—the tops should just poke above the soil surface.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of poke
Verb
  • That polarization helped squeeze other mainstream parties, including the CDU.
    — Geir Moulson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • What fascinates me most isn't simply whether Wagner can squeeze 621 miles out of this massive battery.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • But one of them, perhaps too slow, or too confused, lingered a second longer, and the claw opened and snapped shut.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • As the duo row through pitch-black darkness toward the flame, John experiences harrowing visions of his father and of his younger self, revealed to be an effect of the fear toxin lingering in the air.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of linger
Verb
  • Paired with a prominent pink lip and punctuating updo, the glam appeared as if it were plucked from an early 2000s look book.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Hot on the heels of Gigi Hadid’s Valentino Haute Couture opener, the Italian supermodel swept onto the runway in an equally showstopping look from the house’s archives—plucked straight from the Pierpaolo Piccioli era.
    — Alice Abbiadati, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • Over the past 12 months, the stock has fallen 18%, dragging McDonald's market value down to about $175 billion.
    — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Those votes are increasingly challenging for some GOP senators as the war drags on.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of drag
Verb
  • Sometimes a lid isn’t screwed tightly, and your foundation proves its worth all over the inside of your bag.
    — Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Julian is played with winning charm by Daniel Ings in a role that stretches him from his usual parts, like the buffoonish screw-up brother in the series The Gentlemen.
    — Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 13 Sep. 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 28 Sep. 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 fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All