FIDDLING AWAY Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

fiddling away

verb

present participle of fiddle away

as in spending

to use up carelessly fiddled away the entire evening surfing the Internet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddling away

Verb

Willy Kurniawan | Reuters Indonesia may have trouble meeting its economic-growth goals for the coming year, after spending 2026 on the defensive amid questions about fiscal outlays and the prospects of a downgrade from MSCI.

— Celestine Iyer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
For now, the Coalition for Prediction Markets is spending a fraction of Kalshi’s direct lobbying expenses.

— Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

The land, most of it operated by the Peconic Land Trust to ensure it’s never developed, ran down to the bay, and there were hiking paths running through the entire property.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026
No one blinks at a pregnant Sarah constantly running through hails of gunfire — sans prenatal vitamins or a home.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of running through

Verb

Northeastern Poland was affected by the storm, too, with over 100,000 people losing power.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
After scoring the game’s first run in the top of the 10th, the Angels gave up two with two outs in the bottom of the inning, losing to the Texas Rangers, 2-1, on Friday night, once again wasting a scoreless start from Reid Detmers.

— Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of losing

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

fiddling (around)

fiddling away

fiddlings

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fiddling away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling%20away. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fiddling away

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

southpaw

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes