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
-
Voting on the first day was delayed when security officials picked up a cell phone signal inside the Sistine Chapel, O’Connell writes.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026 -
Mehta reminded the judge that Cox tried to delay a previous trial by requesting to self represent.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lægreid wasn’t the only athlete caught up in a cheating scandal, however.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The seemingly quaint and cordial sport of curling was rocked by cheating allegations during the Winter Games.—
Sallee Ann Harrison,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As Luna in your financial quadrant pokes the Sun in your friendship zone, money boundaries and group expectations likely tug in different directions.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Galloway pokes a single to left field.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Before that, the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act that passed in January 2025 was already squeezing Social Security, CRFB said.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Video shows the women squeezing through the window and screaming obscenities at the people inside, while tossing food, beverages and packaging.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For the parents watching nearby, the larger story lingers.—
Peter Folan,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The pool and hot tub setup look like they were plucked from an island retreat, set underneath palm trees and boasting a splash pad.—
Nora Heston Tarte,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Scheelhaase shifted to coaching at Illinois in 2015 and rose up the ranks at Iowa State under head coach Matt Campbell for six seasons before McVay plucked him from the college ranks in 2024.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Coach never agreed to that deal, and once Ozzy got the key on the ground, Coach dragged it over to win supplies.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Software stocks have been caught up in a sell-off that dragged the sector into bear market territory, amid fears AI could make software as a service — or SaaS — obsolete.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
You just got screwed over by a duo!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
-
And this can really screw with your system for a bit.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
25 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Diddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddle. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
