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piddle

[ pid-l ]
/ ˈpɪd l /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR piddle ON THESAURUS.COM

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

to spend time in a wasteful, trifling, or ineffective way; dawdle (often followed by around): He wasted the day piddling around.
Informal. (especially of children and pets) to urinate.

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

to waste (time, money, etc.); fail to utilize (usually followed by away).

RELATED WORDS

laze, loll, saunter, loiter, trifle, lie, stall, slack, relax, goldbrick, dillydally, drift, evade, lounge, idle, malinger, bum, shirk, dally, dream

Nearby words

  1. picul,
  2. piculet,
  3. picumnus,
  4. picus,
  5. pid,
  6. piddling,
  7. piddock,
  8. pidgeon,
  9. pidgin,
  10. pidgin english

Origin of piddle

First recorded in 1535–45; origin uncertain
Related formspid·dler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for piddle

British Dictionary definitions for piddle

piddle

/ (ˈpɪdəl) /

verb

(intr) informal to urinate
(when tr, often foll by away) to spend (one's time) aimlessly; fritter
Derived Formspiddler, noun

Word Origin for piddle

C16: origin unknown
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
Word Origin and History for piddle

piddle

v.

1540s, "to peddle, to work in a trifling way," of uncertain origin, apparently a frequentative form. Meaning "to pick at one's food" is from 1610s; that of "urinate" is from 1796. Related: Piddled; piddler; piddling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper