twiddle
verb (used with object)
to turn about or play with lightly or idly, especially with the fingers; twirl.
was twiddling
-
past progressiveof twiddle.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
It was twiddling its thumbs in the back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
“I was twiddling my thumbs, thinking about the breakup that just happened a few weeks prior,” he said of a long stretch of waiting in the jury room that morning.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2022
"When in fact, what they were doing was twiddling their thumbs and moving pixels around a screen."
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2013
“I was injured, and then I was twiddling my thumbs at home,” Williams, 28, said last week.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2010
Ashurst did not answer; he had plucked a blue floweret, and was twiddling it against the sky.
From Five Tales by John Galsworthy
