1
as in delaying
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 cheating
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 diddling
Verb
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San Diego is delaying most impacts of a new state law that requires cities to allow high-rise housing near trolley stations and major bus stops — but questions persist about how many bus stops the new law will affect.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026 -
Yamaha’s plant shut down due to Covid-19, delaying TCW’s ability to retrieve and return the equipment in the allotted time, but Evergreen still charged the fees.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Though that 2017 championship is marred by one of the most egregious cheating scandals in baseball history.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
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Portraits of him as a cheating drunk, who was unfaithful to his first wife, Julia Nye, also surfaced.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The post quickly drew a wave of reactions online, with some users poking fun at both the situation and Jones’ outfit.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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Here, Ibrahima Konate has the simple task of poking the ball through United’s midfield, Wirtz swaps passes with Szoboszlai, and then has a decent attempt at goal.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Gas prices, housing costs and groceries are squeezing people who are working hard yet still falling behind.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
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Prices for everything are higher, squeezing already tight budgets to the breaking point, with no end in sight.—
The Virginian Pilot And Daily Press Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Which is why Hailey Bieber’s bright white, electric G-Wagon is parked just feet away from the office bullpen, where 20-something staffers of the full-service production company are plucking away at their computers.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
6 May 2026
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But Norris wasn’t far behind, plucking off the Dutchman before focusing on Antonelli.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Verb
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While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Over the past few years, Google has been hustling to reinvent its business for the AI age, trying to keep consumers in the habit of going to its search page as chatbots from startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic become more popular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Diddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddling. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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