noodle

1
[ nood-l ]
/ ˈnud l /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR noodle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a narrow strip of unleavened egg dough that has been rolled thin and dried, boiled, and served alone or in soups, casseroles, etc.; a ribbon-shaped pasta.

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Origin of noodle

1
First recorded in 1770–80, noodle is from the German word Nudel

Words nearby noodle

nonwoven, nonyl alcohol, nonzero, noob, noodge, noodle, noodlehead, noodling, noogie, noogoora burr, nooit

Definition for noodle (2 of 3)

noodle2
[ nood-l ]
/ ˈnud l /

noun

Slang. the head.
a fool or simpleton.

Origin of noodle

2
1745–55; perhaps variant of noddle (with oo from fool1)

Definition for noodle (3 of 3)

noodle3
[ nood-l ]
/ ˈnud l /

verb (used without object), noo·dled, noo·dling.

to improvise a musical passage in a casual manner, especially as a warm-up exercise.
Informal.
  1. to play; toy: to noodle with numbers as a hobby.
  2. to improvise, experiment, or think creatively: The writers noodled for a week and came up with a better idea for the ad campaign.

verb (used with object), noo·dled, noo·dling.

Informal.
  1. to manipulate or tamper with: She denied that she had noodled the statistics to get a favorable result.
  2. to make or devise freely as an exercise or experiment (sometimes followed by up): The architects noodled up a model of a solar house.

Verb Phrases

noodle around, Informal. to play, experiment, or improvise.

Origin of noodle

3
An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to noodle

coconut, belfry, upstairs, skull, attic, crown, dome, cranium, brain, noggin, scalp, pate, poll, noddle, thinker

Example sentences from the Web for noodle

British Dictionary definitions for noodle (1 of 3)

noodle1
/ (ˈnuːdəl) /

noun

(often plural) a ribbon-like strip of pasta: noodles are often served in soup or with a sauce

Word Origin for noodle

C18: from German Nudel, origin obscure

British Dictionary definitions for noodle (2 of 3)

noodle2
/ (ˈnuːdəl) /

noun

US and Canadian a slang word for head (def. 1)
a simpleton

Word Origin for noodle

C18: perhaps a blend of noddle 1 and noodle 1

British Dictionary definitions for noodle (3 of 3)

noodle3
/ (ˈnuːdəl) /

verb

(intr) slang to improvise aimlessly on a musical instrument
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012