diddle

verb

did·​dle ˈdi-dᵊl 

diddled; diddling ˈdid-liŋ 

-dᵊl-iŋ

transitive verb

1

chiefly dialectal : to move with short rapid motions

2

: to waste (time) in trifling

3

: hoax, swindle

4

usually vulgar : to copulate with

intransitive verb

1

: dawdle, fool

2

: fiddle, toy

—usually used with with

diddled with the machine until it broke

diddler

ˈdid-lər 

-dᵊl-ər

noun

Synonyms

• crawl
• creep
• dally
• dawdle
• delay
• dillydally
• drag
• lag
• linger
• loiter
• lollygag
• lallygag
• mope
• poke
• shilly-shally
• tarry

Examples of diddle in a Sentence

He had tried to diddle his insurance agency.

She felt she had been diddled out of her inheritance.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1