doodle
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to draw or scribble idly.
He doodled during the whole lecture.
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to waste (time) in aimless or foolish activity.
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Dialect. to deceive; cheat.
noun
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a design, figure, or the like, made by idle scribbling.
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Archaic. a foolish or silly person.
noun
verb
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to scribble or draw aimlessly
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to play or improvise idly
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to dawdle or waste time
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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doodlesimple
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doodlessimple
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have doodledperfect
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has doodledperfect
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am doodlingprogressive
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are doodlingprogressive
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is doodlingprogressive
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have been doodlingperfect progressive
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has been doodlingperfect progressive
Past
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doodledsimple
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had doodledperfect
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was doodlingprogressive
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were doodlingprogressive
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had been doodlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of doodle1
1625–30 in archaic sense “a fool”; 1935–40 in current senses; compare Low German dudeltopf simpleton
Origin of doodle2
Probably extracted from cock-a-doodle-doo ( def. ); a euphemism for cock 3, to avoid association with cock 1, in sense “penis”
Explanation
A doodle is a casual little drawing you do, often while you're doing something else, like talking on the phone or listening to a teacher's lecture. Your history notebook might be equal parts notes and doodles. A doodle can vary from a meaningless scribble or scrawl to a detailed picture of a dog. You never draw a doodle for some specific purpose — to doodle is to draw in an aimless, haphazard way. In the 1600s, a doodle was a "simple fellow," from the German dudeltopf, "simpleton." It came to mean "foolish designs on paper" by the early 20th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are also synchronized motocross jumps in front of the White House, which feels like a 12-year-old’s doodle come to life.
From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026
They found that in 82% of cases where one parent would display some problem behaviour, their doodle offspring were likely to show a more exaggerated version of that behaviour.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Only, oopsie doodle, due to a serious knock on the head, Samantha forgot that she’s actually a CIA-trained black-ops agent.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2024
Cavemen, famously, liked to doodle on the walls with pigments ground from charred wood, stone, bone and minerals, bound with plant sap and animal fat.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2024
I couldn’t tell if they liked my hair or if they thought I looked like a whang- doodle.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
