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
In Homer’s original poem, the gods hold meetings, argue, play favorites and meddle so routinely in human affairs that Athena is practically a second protagonist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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
Only a fool would meddle with the classic cocktail sauce recipe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
“Ah don’t wanna break in ’n’ meddle where Ah ain’ got no bis- ness, suh,” the preacher said in a tone that was militant, but deferring.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
And in the brain, it meddles with connections between brain cells, resulting in “fuzzy thinking.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2024
In "Sleepless in Seattle," a child meddles in his widower-dad's romantic life to literally force him to meet with a woman he shouldn't have had to be forced to meet.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2022
Several former internal- affairs commanders and detectives also have claimed Urquhart bullies investigators and meddles in deputy misconduct probes, raising fairness concerns.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2017
I don’t want to be the mom who meddles with her son’s happiness, but am I right to be concerned?
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2014
The great river called Sally flows steadily on, on its own account, and makes and meddles not.
From Somehow Good by William Frend De Morgan
As Chesnut noted, UFOs-as-demons is actually an evangelical idea from the 1950s and ’60s, and not something the Catholic Church has ever meddled in.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
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
"He was well known for protecting all of his artists from the BBC executives, making sure they weren't meddled with," said Mr Baldwin.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 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
He then went on to disclaim that “any person who knew either of us could possibly believe that either meddled in that dirty work.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
As part of my research, I caught a livestream of a conference where human-resource officials brought up their exasperation with parents meddling in their Gen Z children’s careers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 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
The military has repeatedly denied involvement in Khan's legal cases or meddling in the civilian domain.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
“Just a little meddling with dark forces better left alone,” I said lightly, holding up the burning shingle.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
