riddling

verb

Definition of riddlingnext
present participle of riddle
1
as in drilling
to make a hole or series of holes in several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in penetrating
to spread throughout the newspaper exposé revealed a gaming commission that is riddled with corruption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of riddling But asteroids and comets have also bombarded Mercury, riddling it with impact craters, much like the pockmarked surface of Earth’s moon. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddling
  1. drilling
  2. penetrating
  3. piercing
  4. suffusing
  5. punching
  6. puncturing
  7. poking
Verb
  • Researchers investigating the site believed by some to be Noah's Ark have just wrapped up their first full field season — drilling more than 60 feet beneath the site and collecting hundreds of samples now undergoing laboratory analysis.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To determine the duration of the Chicxulub hydrothermal system, Pickersgill recovered samples at the site, drilling 1 km down.
    — Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • The award, announced Monday, covers Low-Profile Mast systems that use telescoping sensor equipment instead of traditional hull-penetrating periscopes.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
  • That story centers on the immense commercial potential unlocked by AI agents penetrating everyday consumer markets.
    — , CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of penetrating
Verb
  • The most impressive is the national park’s namesake, El Teide, a cloud-piercing volcano at around 12,200 feet high—Spain’s tallest peak.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Henry is tall and slender with a piercing gaze and blue-gray eyes.
    — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • The threat of shattered glass if the bottle breaks, the subsequent odor suffusing all the items in your carryon, liquids seeping dangerously close to electronics—none of it sounds like a good idea.
    — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But Pete took the idea one step further, taking the organization’s iconic symbol — the star — and suffusing it with a deeper meaning.
    — Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of suffusing
Verb
  • Bella chews him out for punching Angus in the face right before Angus’s big presentation, which Johnny knew about because they were supposed to throw a return supper for him, a dinner Johnny was supposed to cook.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Castro whips her head around and follows him, punching him in the back.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • According to the company website, the glove is designed to disrupt sensory nerves without puncturing or burning the skin.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • Sometimes only the tips of the reeds and the seed heads were visible, poking above the murky water, and other times the reeds stood fully exposed, with a clear view of crabs clambering around their bases.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Video posted to social media showed one car nearly submerged, with just its sunroof poking above the water, as people moved other vehicles farther from the rising tides.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of poking

Browse Nearby Words

riddles (out)
riddling
riddling (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Riddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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