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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]
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

diddle in British 1

(ˈdɪdəl )
verb informal
1. (transitive)
to cheat or swindle
2. (intransitive) an obsolete word for dawdle
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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
a. 
to have sexual intercourse with
b. 
to masturbate
verb intransitive
3. 
to move back and forth jerkily or rapidly
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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
1. 
to cheat, swindle, or victimize
2. 
to waste (time) in trifling
often followed by away
verb intransitive
3. 
to waste time; dawdle
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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'

  • didascalic
  • didder
  • diddies
  • diddle
  • diddley
  • diddly
  • diddly-squat

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'D'

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 ...
Read more about 'Ought to'
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Scrabble score for 'diddle': 9
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