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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
  • While hunting for his missing wife, Marissa, Hale is dragged through an escalating nightmare of environments that loop, warp and rebuild themselves from his own memories and trauma.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • At that point, six men dressed in black and wearing masks emerged from their vehicles, dragged the Chetals from their car and led them to the van, where Chetal’s father was beaten with a metal baseball bat, breaking his arm.
    — Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • The producers’ suit appeared to sputter out in 2022, when a judge ruled that they were not cheated out of profits and that AMC had sued a standard definition.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Times has interviewed more than a dozen clients and investors who said they were cheated by Holdo.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • Left unhandled, each one turns into a person fixing an issue or an order getting delayed.
    — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Despite rising infant deaths tied to Lucy Letby’s shifts, hospital leaders delayed suspending her and calling police, allowing further attacks before her eventual arrest and conviction.
    — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • In the press box, Ravens assistants hustled downstairs to join the celebration.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Who hasn’t hustled out into the backyard to mimic their sports heroes?
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of hustled
Verb
  • Jones and Tagovailoa waited as questions about their abilities lingered.
    — Mike Sando, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But despite Rexha’s rousing encore, her question still lingered.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • Add in Braxton Berrios, the Giants’ punt returner and backup slot receiver, and that squeezed Slayton out.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.
    — Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • The dog’s ribs poked out, her skin was irritated and red, and patches of fur were missing — a possible sign of mange.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In between, Arsenal had plenty of attacking joy, particularly when the slick positional rotations of their right flank poked at the weak spot on the left of Chelsea’s defence.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • Her words, as if plucked from a Sunday morning sermon, speak to the source of her strength.
    — Nicole Avery Nichols, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Other items were plucked from antique stores and flea markets around the globe.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Sep. 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)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddled. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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