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twiddle
[ twid-l ]
verb (used with object)
- to turn about or play with lightly or idly, especially with the fingers; twirl.
verb (used without object)
- to play or trifle idly with something; fiddle.
- to turn about lightly; twirl.
noun
- the act of twiddling; turn; twirl.
twiddle
/ ˈٷɪə /
verb
- whenintr, often foll by with to twirl or fiddle (with), often in an idle way
- to do nothing; be unoccupied
- intr to turn, twirl, or rotate
- rare.intr to be occupied with trifles
noun
- an act or instance of twiddling
Derived Forms
- ˈٷɾ, noun
Other Word Forms
- ٷɾd noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of twiddle1
Idioms and Phrases
- twiddle one's thumbs, to do nothing; be idle:
Business was slack, and the salespeople were twiddling their thumbs.
Example Sentences
Kudos to them, too, for re-energizing voters while so many forlorn Democratic leaders twiddle their thumbs and nurse the hangover of defeat.
Abrasive, shallow and giddily watchable, her Wow Platinum — what a name! — twiddles her clawed fingers like a femme fatale dead certain she can charm her way to the top.
Yet, Eggers was not one to sit and twiddle his thumbs.
Pen clicking and hair twiddling were also triggers, though not quite as frequently.
While I campaign around the country and answer any question the Fake News Media throws my way, she twiddles her thumbs and watches the world burn.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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