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meddle — to interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈmedəl/

Example Sentences

  • My mother-in-law always meddles in our marriage decisions.
  • Stop meddling with my phone settings - I had everything perfect!
  • The politician was accused of meddling in the election process.

meddle

VERB

[/ˈmedəl/]

to interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern

Stop trying to meddle in your sister's messy but happy kitchen experiment.
💡 Concept

Stop trying to meddle in your sister's messy but happy kitchen experiment.

The boy kept meddling in his classmate's painting, putting his own brush into her palette and telling her what colors to use.
🧠 Mnemonic

The boy kept meddling in his classmate's painting, putting his own brush into her palette and telling her what colors to use.

The manager made the afternoon tiresome by pointing out bothersome details and constantly meddling in everyone's work.
🎵 Rhyme

The manager made the afternoon tiresome by pointing out bothersome details and constantly meddling in everyone's work.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈmedəl/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈmedl/

🌳Etymology

Rootmeddle

Origin

From Middle English 'medlen', derived from Old French 'medler' meaning 'to mix' or 'to meddle'. The Old French word likely comes from Latin 'miscere' meaning 'to mix', blended with the frequentative suffix creating the sense of 'to mix oneself in'.

Breakdown

med- (from Old French 'medler', meaning 'to mix') + -le (frequentative suffix indicating repeated or habitual action) = meddle (to repeatedly mix oneself in or interfere)

🎵Rhyme

medal
pedal
settle

🔗Collocations

meddle in affairs
meddle with someone
don't meddle
meddle unnecessarily
meddle in politics

📝Examples

“My mother-in-law always meddles in our marriage decisions.”

😄 Fun example

“Stop meddling with my phone settings - I had everything perfect!”

“The politician was accused of meddling in the election process.”

😄 Fun example

“Don't meddle with the recipe - my grandmother's cookies are sacred!”

📚Related Words

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