meddle
Americanverb (used without object)
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meddles,
present (3rd person singular)
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meddled,
past participle, past
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meddling
present participle
verb
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(usually foll by with) to interfere officiously or annoyingly
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(usually foll by in) to involve oneself unwarrantedly
to meddle in someone's private affairs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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meddlernoun
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overmeddleverb (used without object)
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meddlingadjective
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unmeddledadjective
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meddlinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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meddlesimple
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meddlessimple
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have meddledperfect
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has meddledperfect
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am meddlingprogressive
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are meddlingprogressive
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is meddlingprogressive
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have been meddlingperfect progressive
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has been meddlingperfect progressive
Past
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meddledsimple
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had meddledperfect
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was meddlingprogressive
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were meddlingprogressive
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had been meddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of meddle
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
Explanation
To meddle is to interfere. You can meddle in someone else's affairs, and you can meddle with someone else's things. Either way, you’re messing with someone else’s stuff and she probably doesn’t like it. Meddle started out in the late 1400’s meaning “to mingle,” then it became a pain when it began to be used to mean “interfere,” which is how we use it now. For a little while there it also meant to be, um, romantic with someone, but it’s not used that way today. Meddle is what little sisters do, always getting in the middle of your business.
Vocabulary lists containing meddle
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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This Week in Words: March 10 - 16, 2018
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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.
See Examples For:
“These are attempts to interfere, to meddle in Mexican politics,” Sheinbaum said at her regular morning news conference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It declared that the western hemisphere was America's sphere of interest – and warned European powers not to meddle or establish new colonies.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026
Public policy advocates and experts expressed concern about state lawmakers using their power to meddle with local housing projects, especially when carving out exemptions from laws they’ve imposed on everyone else in the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
It’s actually quite problematic that some perversely rich guys meddle in our affairs in their own way.
From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2025
“I’m not trying to meddle in your business,” he says.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
It’s saying he’s misinformed and fantasizing, not outright lying, as he meddles deeply in California water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2025
He has argued that the court meddles in his mandate and reminded the military that, in a democracy, it is subordinate to the elected government.
From Reuters ● Aug. 14, 2023
It’s a Jane Austen-esque comedy of marriage in which a teenager meddles in her older sister’s love life while their parents look on in dismay.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
However, as Noah meddles in Howie's affairs, obstacles arise for the potential couple.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2022
Ah me! what perils do environ The man who meddles with cold iron!
From Legends of Florence Collected from the People, First Series by Charles Godfrey Leland
Middle Eastern countries have long meddled in Africa, jostling for influence in the most strategic parts of the continent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Among several accusations, Eubank claimed Team Benn meddled in his weight cut, branding them "ruthless" and "without restraint".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025
Among other things, last week she reached out and meddled in a case over which she had no jurisdiction, plucking the matter back from the appeals court where it was properly pending.
From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2025
For a while CNN was owned by AT&T. I interacted directly with the CEO of AT&T, and in my experience he never meddled with our with our truthful news coverage.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2023
And Andrew wished the well-meaning gentleman had not meddled.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Mel might be a disaster with her loud mouth and impolite antics, but her over-the-top meddling does her buddies some good.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Coogler’s recent deal with Warner Bros. to regain ownership rights to his smash hit “Sinners” was a boon for filmmakers who’ve long been frustrated with studio greed and meddling.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Some who want the agency insulated from politics hope that the geeky, introverted Matsumoto is exactly the right type of person to put the perception of political meddling at the agency to rest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
On the hard-news side, she bungled big moments like an interview with Vladimir Putin, who batted away her questions about 2016 election meddling with an exasperated performance of ignorance.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
This time, her reckless meddling could cost him everything.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
