fiddle around

verb

To toy or play (with something) in an idle, fidgety, aimless or unstructured way; to mess around (with); to muck around (with).

“Stop fiddling around with those matches before you set the place on fire.”

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Meanings

verbfiddle around (third-person singular simple present fiddles around, present participle fiddling around, simple past and past participle fiddled around)

present singular third person fiddles around · participle present fiddling around · participle past fiddled around · past fiddled around

  1. intransitivetransitiveTo toy or play (with something) in an idle, fidgety, aimless or unstructured way; to mess around (with); to muck around (with).

    Stop fiddling around with those matches before you set the place on fire.

  2. intransitivetransitiveTo tinker (with): to make small adjustments or improvements (to something), especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.

    I've been fiddling around all morning, trying to get this old lawnmower to work.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
fiddle aboutfrigfuck aroundloitermuck about
Cite this entry
APA

fiddle around. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fiddle%20around

MLA

“fiddle around.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fiddle%20around. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fiddle around,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fiddle%20around.

Source: fiddle around on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.