- present participle of fiddle.
fiddling
Americanadjective
adjective
-
trifling or insignificant; petty
-
another word for fiddly
Etymology
Origin of fiddling
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at fiddle, -ing 2
Vocabulary lists containing fiddling
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.
So rather than address the fundamentals behind higher yields, Bessent has turned to fiddling with the bond market itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Google Calendar provides a “secret address” in settings so you can avoid any API fiddling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Neville is skeptical that businesses will be fiddling around with AI products to create their own cybersecurity.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Take, for example, Parton’s great-grandmother, Tennessee, who kept her home open for “singing, fiddling, and buck dancing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
I just sat there fiddling with some piping on the bedspread.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
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.
