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

Conversational interfaces represent the next evolution of vehicle control, allowing drivers to interact with advanced driver-assistance systems—without fiddling with buttons or touchscreens. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Aug. 2025

In the tradition of the original Azoth—which was built to be customizable—the Azoth X is fit for fiddling with its components. —PC Magazine, 17 July 2025

Some stuff is obvious: Do not fiddle with a player’s medical records. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 29 July 2025

But cook settings are constrained to a few preset levels (New-York style, thin crust, Neapolitan, frozen), whose temps and cooking times can be a bit fussy to fiddle with. —Adrienne So, Wired News, 21 July 2025