noodling

American  

[nood-ling] / ˈnud lɪŋ /

verb

1. present participle of noodle.

   I learned the hard way why noodling for catfish is considered dangerous.

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noun

1. the act of catching fish, especially catfish, with only one’s bare hands.

   Some states have banned noodling, citing the dangers of the activity as well as concern over sustainability of the fish populations.

noodling British  

/ ˈnuːdlɪŋ /

noun

1. slang aimless musical improvisation

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Etymology

Origin of noodling

First recorded in 1935–40; noodl(e) ⁴ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

noodling

Overcoming the aerodynamic drag inherent with a trad-core design was a degree-of-difficulty multiplier for Rivian’s team, requiring lots of computer simulation and iterative, millimeter-scale noodling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

And you’re like, “I don’t know if I can jam. I was trying to write a song and now you’re noodling all over me. You know what? I’ll just put it down.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

“Tomorrow,” after intermission, contained 24 blissful minutes of bass, percussion, flute, guitar and vocal noodling over a recorded soundscape of environmental noise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2024

While noodling on the piano, she says, “It kind of sounds like something.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

And so, while at GTE, he started noodling a nonmilitary question, one that troubled him and he couldn’t shake.

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