1
as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
conscienceless grifters who had spent their lives fiddling the naive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fiddled
Communities across the globe probably independently fiddled their way towards the invention of proto lip balms over and over.
—
Mark Hay, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2025
Mark Hay, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddled
Verb
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Passed over to his hapless son (Dacre Montgomery), our (anti-)hero wires a shotgun to his head and takes him hostage, claiming that the organization’s business maneuvers cheated him out of a substantial fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
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The woman lives alone, AFP added, citing local media outlets, and was ultimately cheated out of approximately 1 million yen, or about $6,700.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Inside the venue, Parmigiano Reggiano-forward dishes will pop up at a range of spaces, including the Commissioner’s Club, Green Room and Coaches Club where the Jets will offer antipasto stations featuring the cheese and tossed pasta stations highlighted by Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheels.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Ever since Julia was tossed into Castle Leathers, there’s been jealousy brewing.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Minimalist The latest crop of sleek, minimal leather jackets feel plucked from Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s, in the best possible way.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
3 Sep. 2025
-
There were no stoves in the cabins, so Huse plucked native oranges off the trees to make everyone freezer pies.—
Gabrielle Calise,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The mechanism for raising and lowering the pen made a weak clunking sound and barely twitched.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
The shakeups are the latest at a time when restaurants are squeezed between a labor shortage, rising food prices and a loss of customers as diners cut back on spending.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
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For now, the three youngest each sleep in their own pack-and-plays squeezed into their parents’ bedroom.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Farnaz Farjam, one of the show’s executive producers, told Deadline that the production hustled to find a way to capture all three elements.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
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The band hustled to build their social-media accounts, play shows, and produce a new EP.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sherry recalls one instance that stung in particular, when a friend pointed out his hair loss at a social gathering.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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None stung more than the second inning, when Freddie Freeman led off with a single against Pirates rookie Braxton Ashcraft.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fiddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddled. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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