fiddle with
phrasal verb
fiddled with; fiddling with; fiddles with
1
: to move or handle (something) with the hands or fingers in a nervous way
She was nervously fiddling with her pencil as she waited for the test to start.
2
: to change or handle (something, such as the controls of a machine) in a way that shows one is not sure what to do
He was fiddling with the controls of the television, trying to get it to work.
3
: to change (something) in a harmful or foolish way
It became clear that someone had fiddled with the equipment.
Examples of fiddle with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since purchasing the landmark in 2021, the couple had fiddled with its restaurant lineup, which included a deli when Helene barged into Burnsville.
—
Hanna Raskin, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
For further confirmation, the gold-to-CPI-Alt ratio (which calculates CPI using its 1982 methodology, before the government started fiddling with it) sits at just 0.9 – far below its historical average of 2.6.
—Bob Haber, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
No one wants to be fiddling with a teaspoon on the line at a busy restaurant during the dinner rush.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025
Need to create a flowchart, org chart or floor plan but don’t want to spend hours fiddling with complicated software?
—Carly Schnurr, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiddle with
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Hanna Raskin, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
For further confirmation, the gold-to-CPI-Alt ratio (which calculates CPI using its 1982 methodology, before the government started fiddling with it) sits at just 0.9 – far below its historical average of 2.6.
—Bob Haber, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
No one wants to be fiddling with a teaspoon on the line at a busy restaurant during the dinner rush.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025
Need to create a flowchart, org chart or floor plan but don’t want to spend hours fiddling with complicated software?
—Carly Schnurr, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiddle with
Cite this Entry
“Fiddle with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddle%20with. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
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