diddle | Definition of diddle

Synonyms and Antonyms of diddle

1 to move or act slowly

even though the hurricane was fast approaching, federal and local polticians wasted precious time diddling

Synonyms of diddle

crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag (also lallygag), mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry

Words Related to diddle

fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge

amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll

decelerate, slow (down or up)

filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize

Phrases Synonymous with diddle

drag one's feet (also drag one's heels), drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time

Near Antonyms of diddle

bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede

gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot

accelerate, quicken, speed (up)

catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Antonyms of diddle

barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zip

2 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 of diddle

beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize

Words Related to diddle

extort, wrench, wrest, wring

clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak

deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick

betray, bitch, double-cross

bamboozle, fast-talk

Phrases Synonymous with diddle

sell a bill of goods to, take for a ride, take to the cleaners