1
: violin
2
: a device (such as a slat, rack, or light railing) to keep objects from sliding off a table aboard ship
3
: fiddlesticks
—used as an interjection
4
fiddled; fiddling
ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ 
ˈfid-liŋ
ˈfid-liŋ
1
: to play on a fiddle
1
: to play (something) on a fiddle
fiddle a tune
3
: to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain
accountants fiddling the books—
Stanley Cohen
Stanley CohenExamples of fiddle in a Sentence
Noun
an expert with the fiddle
arrested for a tax fiddle
Verb
Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
Jackson played a lead role in the Vegas Bowl, but may have to settle for third fiddle in the Trojans’ offense this season.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Chelsea Edgar, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 15 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for fiddle
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Noun
Those live performances informed A Tip Toe High Wire, which features Hull’s touring band, including Shaun Richardson on guitar, Avery Merritt on fiddle, Erik Coveney on bass and Mark Raudabaugh on drums.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
Jackson played a lead role in the Vegas Bowl, but may have to settle for third fiddle in the Trojans’ offense this season.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
Many of the rituals that once brought the community together—the Kiwanis Club Ice Fishing Derby, fiddling contests so explosive that spectators sometimes came to blows—have faded away.
—Chelsea Edgar, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 15 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for fiddle
Cite this Entry
“Fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddle. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fiddle
1 of 2 noun
fid·dle
ˈfid-ᵊl
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