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
Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 17 Jan. 2025
Richard Greene, John Hartford, and Vassar Clements rotated on fiddle.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
David Carlin, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
In 2024, Franklin is again up for the CMA's Musician of the Year alongside guitarists Tom Bukovac, Rob McNelley, Charlie Worsham and fiddle player Jenee Fleenor.
—Neda Ulaby, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fiddle 
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Noun
Care instructions for the fiddle leaf fig are similar to those of the other two plants, including occasional misting (usually once a week), especially in dry conditions.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 17 Jan. 2025
Richard Greene, John Hartford, and Vassar Clements rotated on fiddle.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
Right now, Trump is fiddling as Los Angeles (and the world) burns.
—David Carlin, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
In 2024, Franklin is again up for the CMA's Musician of the Year alongside guitarists Tom Bukovac, Rob McNelley, Charlie Worsham and fiddle player Jenee Fleenor.
—Neda Ulaby, NPR, 20 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 27 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fiddle
1 of 2 noun
fid·dle
ˈfid-ᵊl
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