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

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The birds have also been seen swinging around power lines, tugging at ropes and fiddling with other urban structures (such as this gate lock below), which suggests there's also a high degree of social play involved in their behavior. New Atlas, 4 June 2025 Hay was fiddling with the drum machine and keyboard. Kate Knibbs, Wired News, 20 May 2025 Roger [Daltrey] did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025 Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fiddle with

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“Fiddle with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddle%20with. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

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