fiddle with

phrasal verb

fiddled with; fiddling with; fiddles with

1

: to move or handle (something) with the hands or fingers in a nervous way

She was nervously fiddling with her pencil as she waited for the test to start.

2

: to change or handle (something, such as the controls of a machine) in a way that shows one is not sure what to do

He was fiddling with the controls of the television, trying to get it to work.

3

: to change (something) in a harmful or foolish way

It became clear that someone had fiddled with the equipment.

Examples of fiddle with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Powell heads up the world’s biggest employer of economists, yet underlying his perfectly reasonable disdain for tariffs is an odd notion that the Fed must fiddle with the price of credit as a way of allegedly softening the blow of higher prices borne of tariffs. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025

She could be seen in the footage fiddling with her gold chain and talking to the person sitting beside her. —Latoya Gayle, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025

My former partner loved to cook, to fiddle with flavors, etc. —Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025