Definition of 'diddle'

Word Frequency

diddle

(dɪdəl )

Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense diddles , present participle diddling , past tense, past participle diddled

1. verb

If someone diddles you, they take money from you dishonestly or unfairly.

[mainly British, informal]

They diddled their insurance company by making a false claim. [VERB noun]

2. verb

If someone diddles, they waste time and do not achieve anything.

[US, informal]

...if Congress were to just diddle around and not take any action at all. [V around]

Word Frequency

diddle in British 1

(ˈdɪdəl )

verb informal

1. (transitive)

to cheat or swindle

2. (intransitive) an obsolete word for dawdle

Derived forms

diddler (ˈdiddler)

noun

Word origin of 'diddle'

C19: back formation from Jeremy Diddler, a scrounger in J. Kenney's farce Raising the Wind (1803)

Word Frequency

diddle in British 2

(ˈdɪdəl )

verb

dialect

to jerk (an object) up and down or back and forth; shake rapidly

Word origin of 'diddle'

C17: probably variant of doderen to tremble, totter; see dodder1

Word Frequency

diddle in American 1

(ˈdɪdəl ; didˈ'l)

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdiddled or ˈdiddling

1. Informal

to move back and forth in a jerky or rapid manner; jiggle

2. Slang

to have sexual intercourse with

to masturbate

verb intransitive

to move back and forth jerkily or rapidly

Derived forms

diddler (ˈdiddler)

noun

Word origin of 'diddle'

dial. duddle, diddle, to totter, akin to dodder1

Word Frequency

diddle in American 2

(ˈdɪdəl ; didˈ'l)

Informal

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdiddled or ˈdiddling

to cheat, swindle, or victimize

to waste (time) in trifling

often followed by away

verb intransitive

to waste time; dawdle

Derived forms

diddler (ˈdiddler)

noun

Word origin of 'diddle'

? after Jeremy Diddler, character in the play Raising the Wind (1803), by James Kenney: name prob. < dial. duddle, to trick, ult. < OE dyderian, to fool

Trends of 'diddle'

Used Rarely. diddle is in the lower 50% of commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Nearby words of 'diddle'

Source

Definition of diddle from the Collins English Dictionary

Ought to

The use of ought to is similar to should, but it is much less frequent. Like should, the verb ought to does not have a past form. It is only used with reference to the present and the future. Ought ...