fiddler
Americannoun
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a person who plays the fiddle, esp in folk music
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See fiddler crab
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a person who wastes time or acts aimlessly
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informal a cheat or petty rogue
Etymology
Origin of fiddler
before 1100; Middle English, Old English fithelere; cognate with Dutch vedelaar, German Fiedler. See fiddle, -er 1
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.
With Pa being a fiddler, music played a significant role in Wilder’s work and Sonnenshine was determined to reflect that; all the songs played in Season 1 are from the books.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The 4,000-year-old stone circle is said to represent nine petrified ladies, while the King Stone is said to be the fossilised fiddler who played for them.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
It details the rise, against the odds, of a talented but reticent folk fiddler who evolves into a concert artist thanks largely to the efforts of those who care about him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
A nearby fiddler struggled to show his first blind student how to hold the bow or the instrument.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
The fiddler crab, that small and picturesque crustacean whose hordes move over mud flats or sand flats like grazing cattle, has no defense against the sprayers.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
