1
: violin
2
: a device (such as a slat, rack, or light railing) to keep objects from sliding off a table aboard ship
3
: fiddlesticks
—used as an interjection
4
fiddled; fiddling
ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ 
ˈfid-liŋ
ˈfid-liŋ
1
: to play on a fiddle
1
: to play (something) on a fiddle
fiddle a tune
3
: to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain
accountants fiddling the books—
Stanley Cohen
Stanley CohenSynonyms
Noun
- applesauce [slang]
- balderdash
- baloney
- boloney
- beans
- bilge
- blah
- blah-blah
- blarney
- blather
- blatherskite
- blither
- bosh
- bull [slang]
- bunk
- bunkum
- buncombe
- claptrap
- codswallop [British]
- crapola [slang]
- crock
- drivel
- drool
- fiddle-faddle
- fiddlesticks
- flannel [British]
- flapdoodle
- folderol
- falderal
- folly
- foolishness
- fudge
- garbage
- guff
- hogwash
- hokeypokey
- hokum
- hoodoo
- hooey
- horsefeathers [slang]
- humbug
- humbuggery
- jazz
- malarkey
- malarky
- moonshine
- muck
- nerts [slang]
- nonsense
- nuts
- piffle
- poppycock
- punk
- rot
- rubbish
- senselessness
- silliness
- slush
- stupidity
- taradiddle
- tarradiddle
- tommyrot
- tosh
- trash
- trumpery
- twaddle
Verb
Examples of fiddle in a Sentence
Noun
an expert with the fiddle
arrested for a tax fiddle
Verb
Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Recent Examples on the Web
PCMAG, 8 Oct. 2024
Curiosity Spot, aimed at children up to 9 years old but not age-restricted, will include a 15-foot-long immersive kaleidoscope structure, interactive self-portrait creation exhibit, and a science and art exhibit where children can build and play fiddles.
—Bill Bowden, arkansasonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
The cabin's still driver-focused, and there are lots of physical switches leaving very little fiddling to be done within the screen.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fiddle 
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Noun
Where the electric guitar and fiddle usually sneak in from the sides, these instruments are instead crammed into the center.
—PCMAG, 8 Oct. 2024
Curiosity Spot, aimed at children up to 9 years old but not age-restricted, will include a 15-foot-long immersive kaleidoscope structure, interactive self-portrait creation exhibit, and a science and art exhibit where children can build and play fiddles.
—Bill Bowden, arkansasonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
Distinguished violinists from Joseph Szigeti to Hilary Hahn have tackled the Fourth Sonata, yet Jackiw sets a new standard, running the gamut from boisterous fiddling to solitary chant, with sly parodies of overcooked Romanticism along the way.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
The cabin's still driver-focused, and there are lots of physical switches leaving very little fiddling to be done within the screen.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fiddle
Dictionary Entries Near fiddle
Cite this Entry
“Fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddle. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fiddle
1 of 2 noun
fid·dle
ˈfid-ᵊl
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