meddle
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
-
(usually foll by with) to interfere officiously or annoyingly
-
(usually foll by in) to involve oneself unwarrantedly
to meddle in someone's private affairs
Other Word Forms
- meddler noun
- meddling adjective
- meddlingly adverb
- overmeddle verb (used without object)
- unmeddled adjective
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.
Araghi said he wasn’t concerned that Israel or the United States would meddle in the future of Iran.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026
California and Oregon last year enacted similar laws to punish corporate investors that meddle in healthcare decisions at medical providers they own.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
It asserted America's right to dominate the Western hemisphere and keep European powers from trying to meddle in the newly independent states of Latin America.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
It’s actually quite problematic that some perversely rich guys meddle in our affairs in their own way.
From Slate • Nov. 19, 2025
“The executive authority is so wholly out of my sphere,” he observed, “and it is so delicate a thing for me to meddle in that, I avoid it as much as possible.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
