1. bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
2. try to fix or mend; "Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it''s not working right"; "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend"
3. play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly; "Someone tampered with the documents on my desk"; "The reporter fiddle with the facts"
4. manipulate manually or in one''s mind or imagination; "She played nervously with her wedding ring"; "Don''t fiddle with the screws"; "He played with the idea of running for the Senate"
5. play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"
6. play the violin or fiddle
7. commit fraud and steal from one''s employer; "We found out that she had been fiddling for years"
8. avoid (one''s assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties"

Similar Words: violin, tinker, tamper, monkey, toy, diddle, play, shirk, shrink from, goldbrick

See Also: entertain, think of, toy with, flirt with, think about

Hyponyms: Amati, Guarnerius, Stradavarius, Strad, put out, retire, scrimshank, malinger, skulk, slack

Derivational Morphology: tinkerer, fiddler, imp, scamp, monkey, rascal, rapscallion, scalawag, scallywag, twiddler, violin, violinist, shirking, slacking, soldiering, goofing off, goldbricking, slacker, shirker

Anagrams: defile, filled