piddle

[pid-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).

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. 2018

Related Words for piddle

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

Examples from the Web for piddle

Historical Examples of piddle

The principal rivers are the Stour, the Frome, and the Piddle.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia
Various
Some moved to town and do carpenter work, and others jes' piddle around.
Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1
Various
It riseth about Alton, and goeth from thence to Piddle trench head, Deuils.
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of Britaine
Raphaell Holinshed
Atter grandma got too old to wuk in de field, she didn't do nothin' but piddle 'round de yard and bile slops for de hogs.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States
Work Projects Administration
I know I used to go to the house with my mother and piddle around.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States
Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for piddle

piddle

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

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.