diddled

verb

past tense of diddle
1
as in dragged
to move or act slowly even though the hurricane was fast approaching, federal and local politicians wasted precious time diddling

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats an unscrupulous Broadway producer diddles little old ladies by persuading them to invest in a surefire flop

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for diddled
  1. dragged
  2. cheated
  3. delayed
  4. hustled
  5. lingered
  6. squeezed
  7. poked
  8. plucked
Verb
  • Students sitting with arms linked at the elbows could only see in shards through a picket of shin guards, restricting their view of the area where classmates and roommates were dragged one by one and zip-tied face down on the spring grass.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • As Findley dragged the driver from the truck, Deputy Chase Blatt, driving north on I-35, saw the fire and the driver being pulled from the truck.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • The simple truth is that no single technology can fully address AI misuse or determine whether a student cheated.
    — Melissa Loble, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Scarlett Johansson sued you over that, alleging that Disney cheated her out of box office upside.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • Oura was just one of several IPOs that have been delayed over the past month.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In the same week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled Dots, the company pulled its latest AI model and delayed its IPO due to existential safety concerns around the very same AI agent tech.
    — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • Quickly, the house lights come up, and Lay and family are hustled backstage to get reacquainted.
    — Joan Kron, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Her mother hustled her to hospital, only for the doctors to realize Accurso’s active imagination had left her in the same predicament as Madeline’s friends.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of hustled
Verb
  • Many students lingered afterward, to vent and console one another.
    — Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Guests lingered over cocktails, lauding Ghesquière’s formidable creative prowess, personal warmth and loyalty.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • Producers are already being squeezed between competing supply chains.
    — MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Brands are making more on paper and keeping less in the bank, squeezed from every side by rising ad costs, tariffs and overhead.
    — David Born, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • Gray-green eyes poked up from its small, round shell, which was the color of sand, and its legs made a soft, scuttling sound.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Flip and continue to cook until the flesh begins to flake when poked with a fork, 1 to 2 minutes.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • Four years later Fontaine plucked another future Hall of Famer, taking outfielder Tony Gwynn in the third round.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • His last one was in the fourth quarter by Curry, who read the short pass and plucked it out of the air for the score.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of plucked
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

diddle
diddled
diddled (with)
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Cite this Entry

“Diddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diddled. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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