doodle

¹

[ dood-l ]

verb (used with or without object)

, doo·dled, doo·dling.

1. to draw or scribble idly:

   He doodled during the whole lecture.

2. to waste (time) in aimless or foolish activity.
3. Dialect. to deceive; cheat.

noun

1. a design, figure, or the like, made by idle scribbling.
2. Archaic. a foolish or silly person.

doodle

²

[ dood-l ]

noun

, Chiefly North Midland U.S.

1. a small pile of hay; haystack.

doodle

/ ˈduːdəl /

verb

1. to scribble or draw aimlessly
2. to play or improvise idly
3. introften foll byaway to dawdle or waste time

noun

1. a shape, picture, etc, drawn aimlessly

Derived Forms

• ˈdoodler, noun

Other Words From

• doodler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of doodle¹

1625–30 in archaic sense “a fool”; 1935–40 in current senses; compare Low German dudeltopf simpleton

Origin of doodle²

Probably extracted from cock-a-doodle-doo ( def ); a euphemism for cock ³, to avoid association with cock ¹, in sense “penis”

Word History and Origins

Origin of doodle¹

C20: perhaps from C17 doodle a foolish person, but influenced in meaning by dawdle ; compare Low German dudeltopf simpleton

Example Sentences

A woman walked her dog, a doodle that knew how to heel.

From Los Angeles Times

This typescript is "much more intimate" than the other two, Mr Jay said, highlighting notes and "doodles" the author made on it.

From BBC

Also being sold is a five-page manuscript, written in black ballpoint ink on white lined notebook paper – it features doodles of hearts, and a doodle of a pin-up girl.

From BBC

Cavemen, famously, liked to doodle on the walls with pigments ground from charred wood, stone, bone and minerals, bound with plant sap and animal fat.

From Los Angeles Times

Before the show starts, impatient concertgoers doodle on the steamy glass walls with their fingers.

From Los Angeles Times