meddle

[ med-l ]

verb (used without object)

, med·dled, med·dling.

1. to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly:

   Stop meddling in my personal life!

   Synonyms: pry, intrude, intervene

meddle

/ ˈmɛdəl /

verb

1. usually foll by with to interfere officiously or annoyingly
2. usually foll by in to involve oneself unwarrantedly

   to meddle in someone's private affairs

Derived Forms

• ˈmeddling, adjective
• ˈmeddlingly, adverb
• ˈmeddler, noun

Other Words From

• med·dler noun
• o·ver·med·dle verb (used without object) overmeddled overmeddling
• un·med·dled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meddle¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English medlen, from Old French me(s)dler, variant of mesler “to mix,” from Vulgar Latin misculāre (unrecorded), frequentative of Latin miscēre

Word History and Origins

Origin of meddle¹

C14: from Old French medler, ultimately from Latin miscēre to mix

Example Sentences

Even as Trump vows to get the federal government out of the schools — though really, now that the No Child Left Behind Act is dead and gone, the Education Department does little to interfere with public education — he wants to meddle more by pulling funding from any schools that teach about LGBTQ+ issues or “critical race theory.”

From Los Angeles Times

But Russia's representative at the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said that Sudanese sovereignty was being ignored, adding that the UK-backed resolution was "an attempt to give themselves an opportunity to meddle" in what was happening in Sudan.

From BBC

Im tells them to not meddle in his dreams.

From Los Angeles Times

There was a steady stream of disinformation and multiple attempts by Russia to meddle in the electoral process this year.

From Los Angeles Times

Ankit Jain: We’re D.C.’s main advocate for statehood and against congressional efforts to attack our local laws and meddle in our local affairs—basically, our elected lobbyist for our rights and our issues before Congress and the U.S.

From Slate

Related Words

• hinder
• impede
• impose
• infringe
• intrude
• tamper