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 Euphemism Problem In April 2017, a passenger was dragged off a United Airlines flight in Chicago.
    — Ronn Torossian, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The ship dragged its anchor along the seabed for about 80 miles, damaging two telecommunications cables, according to a court statement.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • But the idea that girls are being cheated is personal for some athletes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Miller—who is no stranger to extramarital tabloid scandals herself—has also mastered her getting-cheated-on performances.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • Eight wage claims alleged unpaid wages, delayed tips, bounced checks and struggles with accessing payroll records, the outlet reported.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The murder case against a man accused of brutally beating to death beloved Central Park artist Elise Bainbridge Hill was delayed Tuesday after he was found unfit to stand trial.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • Williams pinned an Ospreys’ layup to the glass, and hustled to save the loose ball to Trent Perry.
    — Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • In the third quarter, Doncic missed a three-pointer, but Jake LaRavia hustled to collect the rebound.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of hustled
Verb
  • Concerns lingered even though later studies showed the benefits of today’s hormone therapies outweigh the risks for many women.
    — Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Unaccompanied minors entering the state hit a peak of 1,441 in 2021 and lingered above 1,000 each year until last year.
    — Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • This business, which covers the manufacture and distribution of medical, surgical and lab products (rather than drugs), had faced pressure from tariffs and now is being squeezed by elevated petroleum costs.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Bake potato halves until very tender when squeezed and skin is wrinkled and crisp, 20–25 minutes.
    — Kelsey Jane Youngman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • Buzelis had just fumbled his sixth turnover against the San Antonio Spurs, batting helplessly at the ball as it was poked from his grasp.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Kid Rock harvested an incredible elk, and poked some fun at the state of politics in America in the process.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • Stars Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgard, Raymond Nicholson and Tom Francis as college football stars plucked from the height of their sports careers and into Marine training and the Pacific theater.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Luckily for the man, having all of the adult worms plucked from his orbs meant the infection was over—no antiparasitic medication required, even if some of the larvae had been left behind.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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