tamper with
Idioms-
Interfere or meddle, especially in a harmful way. For example, If you tamper with that lock it's sure to break . [c. 1600]
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Engage in improper or secret dealings, as in He was accused of tampering with the jury . [c. 1600]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are also running remote desktop applications such as AnyDesk and TeamViewer that enable dark-fleet owners and handlers to control and tamper with a ship’s systems from afar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
When agents go rogue, they can tamper with or delete valuable files.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
Recorded at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, they show an individual, wearing a balaclava, gloves and a backpack, appearing to tamper with the camera at Guthrie’s front porch the morning of her disappearance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
"We ask visitors not to tamper with any art on display," they added.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025
To tamper with something as mysterious and miraculous as the birth of a child was an act of hubris.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
