piddle

[ pid-l ]

verb (used without object)

, pid·dled, pid·dling.

1. to spend time in a wasteful, trifling, or ineffective way; dawdle (often followed by around ):

   He wasted the day piddling around.

2. Informal. (especially of children and pets) to urinate.

verb (used with object)

, pid·dled, pid·dling.

1. to waste (time, money, etc.); fail to utilize (usually followed by away ).

piddle

/ ˈpɪdəl /

verb

1. informal.
   intr to urinate
2. whentr, often foll by away to spend (one's time) aimlessly; fritter

Derived Forms

• ˈpiddler, noun

Other Words From

• piddler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of piddle¹

First recorded in 1535–45; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of piddle¹

C16: origin unknown

Example Sentences

Yet on a comparative basis, they are piddling.

From New York Times

Mencken points out that he’s not especially successful, that his business is “petty and piddling,” and to think of him as a leader is completely misguided.

From Los Angeles Times

It also would have reduced Hiroshima and Nagasaki to a piddling afterthought; Nolan treats them instead as a profound absence, an indictment by silence.

From Los Angeles Times

We loved her when she was open and raw, giving unflinchingly monologues on small stages she often ran onto, with piddling crowds she had to win over.

From Salon

You would hate for a piddling matter such as Augusta weather to get in the way of that.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• loiter
• loll
• saunter