meddle

American  

[med-l] / ˈmɛd l /

verb (used without object)

• meddles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• meddled,
  past participle,  past
• meddling
  present participle

1. to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly.

   Stop meddling in my personal life!

   Synonyms:

   pry, intrude, intervene

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meddle British  

/ ˈmɛdəl /

verb

1. (usually foll by with) to interfere officiously or annoyingly

2. (usually foll by in) to involve oneself unwarrantedly

   to meddle in someone's private affairs

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• meddler
  noun
• overmeddle
  verb (used without object)
• meddling
  adjective
• unmeddled
  adjective
• meddlingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• meddling
  present
• meddled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• meddle
  simple
• meddles
  simple
• have meddled
  perfect
• has meddled
  perfect
• am meddling
  progressive
• are meddling
  progressive
• is meddling
  progressive
• have been meddling
  perfect progressive
• has been meddling
  perfect progressive

Past

• meddled
  simple
• had meddled
  perfect
• was meddling
  progressive
• were meddling
  progressive
• had been meddling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will meddle
  simple
• will have meddled
  perfect
• will be meddling
  progressive
• will have been meddling
  perfect progressive

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

meddle meddles meddled meddling

So it wasn’t surprising that the bill’s negotiators included provisions to ensure timely review, financial remedies for improper federal interference, and removal of future administrations’ ability to meddle with permitted projects, irrespective of energy technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

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

While the authorities tinker with laws and competitions, they dare not meddle with the famous old Championship.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

It’s actually quite problematic that some perversely rich guys meddle in our affairs in their own way.

From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2025

“I told you, they will not meddle in human affairs.”

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

And in the brain, it meddles with connections between brain cells, resulting in “fuzzy thinking.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2024

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

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

I’ve been on a bunch of different staffs where a head coach meddles a lot during game day and he ends up making it even more chaotic.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2021

Everybody meddles and tries to show everybody else that he is a learned man.

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 16 by Various

Numerous U.S. presidents have meddled in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026

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

This report shows sub-postmasters' accounts were meddled with "on an industrial scale", he said.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2024

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

“But you meddled with her dragons, and now they think you are their mother,” Vik tells her.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

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

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the U.S. of meddling in Mexico’s internal affairs after a report about two Mexican governors who had their U.S. visas revoked amid probes into possible links to organized crime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 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 investigators, meantime, saw the Shaws as meddling liars.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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