Fiddling: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to describe someone who is playing aimlessly with something, often indicating a lack of focus or wasting time.

• He was fiddling with his pen while waiting for the meeting to start
• Stop fiddling with your phone and pay attention

Used when engaging in an activity for enjoyment and recreation, or when performing music or a role in acting. Suitable for both casual and formal contexts involving games, sports, or entertainment.

• The children went outside to play after school
• He can play the piano beautifully

Used when someone is executing or carrying out a task, often with a sense of professionalism or in a formal setting. Common in contexts involving arts, work, or testing.

• The band will perform at the concert hall tonight
• She needs to perform well in her exams to get into college

Used when someone creates or performs something spontaneously without preparation, often in a creative or unexpected way.

• The actor had to improvise his lines when he forgot the script
• She can improvise a meal with just a few ingredients

Use when someone is aimlessly playing or handling something, often with their hands. The act usually doesn't have a productive outcome and can be seen as a distraction.

• Stop fiddling with your pen during the meeting
• He kept fiddling with the knobs on the old radio

Refers to small movements, especially of the hands and feet, due to nervousness, boredom, impatience, or restlessness. It often has a slightly negative connotation.

• Children often fidget in their seats during long classes
• She began to fidget nervously before her big presentation

Describes rotating or playing with an object, often using the fingers. It can suggest nervousness or a lack of purpose.

• He twiddled his thumbs while waiting for the doctor
• She kept twiddling her hair as she thought about the problem

Involves making small adjustments or attempting to repair something in a somewhat casual or unskilled manner. This word often implies trial and error.

• He likes to tinker with old car engines in his free time
• She spent the afternoon tinkering with her computer, trying to fix the software issue

This word is often used when someone makes small, unnecessary adjustments or handles something without a clear purpose. It can have a slightly negative connotation, implying aimless or trivial activity.

• He was fiddling with his pen during the entire meeting.
• Stop fiddling with the radio settings, we're fine.

This is appropriate when referring to a deliberate and often minor change made to improve or correct something. It is neutral in tone and often associated with technical or mechanical contexts.

• I made a small adjustment to the brakes to improve their responsiveness.
• The thermostat needed a slight adjustment to regulate the room temperature.

This word can have a negative connotation, implying controlling or influencing someone or something in a skillful but often deceptive way. It can also be used in a neutral sense within certain technical or medical contexts.

• She felt like he was subjecting her to emotional manipulation.
• The manipulation of the data skewed the results of the study.

This word is used for making small, often experimental adjustments to understand or improve something, typically in a mechanical or technical context. It often suggests an informal, trial-and-error approach.

• He spent the afternoon tinkering with his old car engine.
• I've been tinkering with the software to see if I can make it faster.