1
as in pokes
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 plucks
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 diddles
Verb
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Williams pokes a single into the right field gap for an RBI.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026 -
One TikTok video with over 949,000 likes pokes fun at Kempczinski's review by using similar wording to judge other McDonald's items.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
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The first layer, called the Level-1 Trigger, or L1T, harvests 100,000 events per second, and the second layer, called the High-Level Trigger, or HLT, plucks 1,000 of those events to save for later analysis.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This is where Vietnam Syndrome still lingers — not as a slogan, but as a mindset.—
Ken Toltz,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
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Inflation lingers as gas prices fall While some measures of inflation have cooled in recent months, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure has been stuck at about 3% for roughly a year.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Drew Angerer / Getty Images file For months, school officials have floated proposals to relocate or close at least four middle schools on the Upper West Side, citing low enrollment, funding squeezes, academic performance and compliance with a 2022 law requiring class-size reductions by 2028.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
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While most bullion coins track spot closely, certain products remain in higher demand during supply squeezes or retail rushes.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The attacks on Iran have already sent US gasoline prices higher, and will likely continue to climb as the war drags on.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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That's straining operating costs and ticket prices, both of which could become more expensive if airlines have to pay more for fuel the longer the war drags on.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Inspired by real stories, Eva Marcille portrays a wife who miraculously cheats death after her husband’s (Tyler Lepley) betrayal in Pushed Off a Plane and Survived airing on February 28.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As the Bay Area slowly — some might say glacially — crawls into spring, there’s nothing better than sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm yourself up.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In games like Tuesday, when that deep postseason run seems realistic, UCLA pops the ball around on offense and communicates and hustles to overcome its deficiencies on defense.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car.—
Kara Newman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Diddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddles. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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