1
as in to delay
to move or act slowly
even though the hurricane was fast approaching, federal and local politicians wasted precious time diddling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
an unscrupulous Broadway producer diddles little old ladies by persuading them to invest in a surefire flop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diddle
Verb
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Old luggage barcode stickers can confuse airline systems and increase the risk of bags being misrouted or delayed.—
Joey Skladany,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026 -
Following exhibitions in 2018 and 2019, however, Olympic inclusion was scrapped when COVID-19 delayed the Games.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The reportedly yearlong relationship is notable in that, after their split in 2015, Stocking posted and deleted tweets saying the basketball player cheated, per The New York Post.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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As OutKick previously reported, Megan broke off her relationship with the NBA star last week after accusing him of cheating.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When Andrei Vasilevskiy tried to poke the puck away, Bolduc had moved so deep into the crease area that the puck went off him and into the net for his first career playoff goal.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The host also poked fun at the Trumps’ living separately despite being married for 22 years.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When picking your own, avoid squeezing the berries.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
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That’s way too much time to squeeze into a mere 140 minutes.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Orion capsule will be returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for additional study following the mission — but before it was plucked from the ocean, the divers managed to capture images of the capsule and its heat shield underwater.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Vikings also plucked Ryan Van Demark as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the Iran war drags on, concerns over rising gas prices and other costs have ballooned, sending consumer sentiment plummeting.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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But now, in a last-ditch attempt to save the whale, a team has loaded Timmy onto a specialized barge to essentially drag it to the North Sea.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mechanics across the continent screwed, hammered and welded Sheila to keep her together, sometimes shaking their heads at the madness of it all.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Without brothers, father, I would be screwed.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Diddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddle. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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