twiddle

[ twid-l ]

/ ˈtwɪd l /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR twiddle ON THESAURUS.COM

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

to turn about or play with lightly or idly, especially with the fingers; twirl.

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

to play or trifle idly with something; fiddle.

to turn about lightly; twirl.

noun

the act of twiddling; turn; twirl.

QUIZZES

THIS WEEK’S WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS POSITIVELY FELICIFIC

Do you study our Words of the Day with great assiduity? See how many you remember from March 3 to April 5!

Question 1 of 7

transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for twiddle

twiddle one's thumbs, to do nothing; be idle: Business was slack, and the salespeople were twiddling their thumbs.

Origin of twiddle

1530–40; perhaps blend of twitch and fiddle

OTHER WORDS FROM twiddle

twid·dler, noun

Words nearby twiddle

twice-born, twice-laid, twice-told, twicer, twickenham, twiddle, twiddle one's thumbs, twig, twig blight, twig borer, twig girdler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for twiddle one's thumbs

twiddle

/ (ˈtwɪdəl) /

verb

(when intr, often foll by with) to twirl or fiddle (with), often in an idle way

to do nothing; be unoccupied

(intr) to turn, twirl, or rotate

(intr) rare to be occupied with trifles

noun

an act or instance of twiddling

Derived forms of twiddle

twiddler, noun

Word Origin for twiddle

C16: probably a blend of twirl + fiddle

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

Idioms and Phrases with twiddle one's thumbs

twiddle one's thumbs

Be bored or idle, as in There I sat for three hours, twiddling my thumbs, while he made call after call. This expression alludes to the habit of idly turning one's thumbs about one another during a period of inactivity. [Mid-1800s]