diddled

verb

past tense of diddle
1
as in dragged
to move or act slowly even though the hurricane was fast approaching, federal and local politicians wasted precious time diddling

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheated
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 diddled
  1. dragged
  2. cheated
  3. delayed
  4. hustled
  5. lingered
  6. squeezed
  7. poked
  8. plucked
Verb
  • The public information request process dragged on for several months.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • According to Lupo, Boise’s above-average traffic congestion, coupled with a lack of economic diversity, dragged Boise’s score down in this category.
    — Hali Smith July 30, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • However, the models essentially cheated by attempting to access the open internet, thereby bypassing the isolated test environment.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 July 2026
  • In 2014, Russia was proven to have cheated in the Sochi Olympic Games.
    — Katie Uhlaender OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • The official, who spoke on behalf of the State Department on condition of anonymity, said Brazil has indicated the approval is likely to be delayed until after its election in October.
    — Abigail Williams, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The article has been corrected to reflect that the university system’s timeline was expedited, not delayed.
    — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • The over-all technical director, Oscar Lopez, whose day job entails managing events at Resorts World, hustled crews carefully among setups and sites.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • During a break Saturday, Freeling hustled home and caught two episodes before returning to the hotel where the rookies and younger players stay during camp ahead of curfew.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of hustled
Verb
  • Last winter, in his first crack at free agency, Arraez lingered on the open market until late January before signing a one-year, $12 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Yet my party of work friends lingered, seeming to savor the change of venue.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • Denmark is being squeezed from both sides of the NATO alliance.
    — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Space food is changing Early astronauts squeezed puréed food from tubes.
    — Sundeep Venkatesan, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.
    — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • The spa The on-site spa could never be a flashy, luxury spa plucked from any random resort.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Echoing his sentiment, Hinata’s hiking trails are full of nature scenes practically plucked from a storybook.
    — Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of plucked
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.

Browse Nearby Words

diddle
diddled
diddled (with)
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Cite this Entry

“Diddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddled. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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