Dictionary.com

noodle

1
[ nood-l ]
/ ˈnud l /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: noodle / noodles 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.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of noodle

1
First recorded in 1770–80; from German Nudel

Words nearby noodle

nonwoven, nonyl alcohol, nonzero, noob, noodge, noodle, noodlehead, noodling, no offense, noogie, Noogoora burr

Definition for noodle (2 of 4)

noodle2
[ nood-l ]
/ ˈnud l /

noun

Slang.
  1. the head.
  2. the mind.
a fool or simpleton.

Origin of noodle

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

Definition for noodle (3 of 4)

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

Definition for noodle (4 of 4)

noodle4
[ nood-l ]
/ ˈnud l /

verb (used with or without object), noo·dled, noo·dling.Chiefly Midland U.S.

to catch fish, especially catfish, with only one’s bare hands: We watched him noodle a 62-pound flathead catfish.Their video on how to noodle for some pretty monstrous catfish includes footage from several rivers in Oklahoma.

Origin of noodle

4
First recorded in 1920–25; origin unknown

OTHER WORDS FROM noodle

noo·dler, nounnoo·dling, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to noodle

coconut, belfry, upstairs, skull, attic, crown, dome, cranium, brain, noggin, scalp, pate, poll, noddle, thinker, gray matter, think tank, upper story

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
See Today's Synonym