First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
meddle
verb med·dle \ˈme-dəl\
: to become involved in the activities and concerns of other people when your involvement is not wanted
: to change or handle something in a way that is unwanted or harmful
med·dledmed·dling \ˈmed-liŋ, ˈme-dəl-iŋ\
Full Definition of MEDDLE
intransitive verb
: to interest oneself in what is not one's concern : interfere without right or propriety
— med·dler \ˈmed-lər, ˈme-dəl-ər\ noun
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Origin of MEDDLE
Middle English medlen, from Anglo-French mesler, medler, from Vulgar Latin *misculare, from Latin miscēre to mix — more at mix
Related to MEDDLE
MEDDLER Defined for Kids
meddle
verb med·dle \ˈme-dəl\
med·dledmed·dling
Definition of MEDDLE for Kids
: to be overly involved in someone else's business
Synonym Discussion of MEDDLE
meddle, interfere, and tamper mean to get involved with something that is someone else's business. meddle is used for intruding in an inconsiderate and annoying fashion. <Don't meddle in her personal life.> interfere is used for getting in the way of or disturbing someone or something whether intentionally or not. <I tried to give advice without interfering.> tamper is used for intruding or experimenting in a way that is wrong or uncalled-for and likely to be harmful. <Someone had tampered with the lock.>
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