as in scams
chiefly British
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
the e-mail was another one of those fiddles from some supposed Nigerian millionaire seeking to transfer funds out of his country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in fidgets
to make jerky or restless movements
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plucks
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 fiddles
Carlie Procell, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
The film's soundtrack carries on that way throughout, showing the boundless energy of hardscrabble, down-to-their-last-dime people via fifes, fiddles, and harps.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Many musical instruments, particularly hollow wooden ones like acoustic guitars and fiddles, as well as pianos, are susceptible to damage from temperature and humidity fluctuations.
—Margaret Littman, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
Make sure to go on a night when the Moondogs bluegrass band is performing with washboards and fiddles.
—Megan Margulies, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
Country exists in two realities at once — the fiddles-and-steel-guitar traditionalists on one side and glossy crossovers on the other.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Over a mashup of fiddles and guitars, Tod and Jennings blend their rough-hewn voices on a song about consequences for older vices and choices, pondering when the consequences of those actions outweigh the vices themselves.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Congress fiddles while structural defects in Medicare and Social Security threaten to engulf the programs.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
Live musicians will play, usually country or Cajun French music, featuring instruments like accordions and fiddles.
—Carlie Procell, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
The film's soundtrack carries on that way throughout, showing the boundless energy of hardscrabble, down-to-their-last-dime people via fifes, fiddles, and harps.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Many musical instruments, particularly hollow wooden ones like acoustic guitars and fiddles, as well as pianos, are susceptible to damage from temperature and humidity fluctuations.
—Margaret Littman, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
Make sure to go on a night when the Moondogs bluegrass band is performing with washboards and fiddles.
—Megan Margulies, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
Country exists in two realities at once — the fiddles-and-steel-guitar traditionalists on one side and glossy crossovers on the other.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Over a mashup of fiddles and guitars, Tod and Jennings blend their rough-hewn voices on a song about consequences for older vices and choices, pondering when the consequences of those actions outweigh the vices themselves.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
The contract model means that when Congress fiddles, it isn’t impacted.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Congress fiddles while structural defects in Medicare and Social Security threaten to engulf the programs.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddles
Noun
-
Multiple states, including Massachusetts and Iowa, have sued the company for allegedly facilitating crypto scams, often against retirees, that resulted in people losing millions of dollars.—
Mirtha Donastorg,
AJC.com,
22 May 2026
-
Cryptocurrencies are associated with volatility, scams, speculative bubbles and energy-intensive mining.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The man fidgets, shifts around in his seat and fixates on Zarutska before pulling out a small knife and striking her multiple times around her neck.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, who rocks an early era Maxwell ‘fro, plays drums, plucks bass, and sings about the ups and downs of love and consumerism on his new album, LK99.—
Elise Brisco,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2026
-
Tabakis lightly strums and plucks over a glowing drone and chattering birds, offering an ecumenical introduction, a smiling welcome.—
Grayson Haver Currin,
Pitchfork,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The Man Who Stole Portugal is inspired by the titular true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom about Alves dos Reis, who pulled off one of the largest frauds in history against the Bank of Portugal in 1925.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
-
Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal have gone on public view in Malaysia for the first time, offering a modest but pointed reminder of one of the largest financial frauds in modern history.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Overthrows and underthrows and tosses otherwise off target.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
27 May 2026
-
Flo Rida tosses a rose offstage during a performance in Oslo, Norway, on May 20.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Five average players committed to protecting the middle of the ice are more effective than four great ones and one who cheats for offence.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
-
The top-two primary system also cheats voters by pushing all candidates onto one primary ballot.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
War squeezes African, Asian economies further The fallout of the Iran war deepened globally as countries struggled to contain the impact of rising fuel and commodity prices.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
22 May 2026
-
So this market squeezes big flavors out of a shorter season and doesn't open until July.—
Jen Crystal,
Midwest Living,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fiddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddles. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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