Definition of 'diddle'
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
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
noun
Word origin of 'diddle'
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdiddled or ˈdiddling
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
noun
Informal
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
noun
Word origin of 'diddle'
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
GDPR, yanny/laurel & MadaBaka Beat: May’s Words in the News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this May with Robert Groves.
Read more
Ruby Chocolate, Fatberg & Right to be Forgotten: April’s Words in the News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this month with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more