English · Phrasal verb Attested

fiddle around

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To toy or play (with something) in an idle, fidgety, aimless or unstructured way; to mess around (with); to muck around (with).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chơi đùa một cách nhàn rỗi hoặc vô định

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Stop fiddling around with those matches before you set the place on fire.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To tinker (with): to make small adjustments or improvements (to something), especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Sửa đổi hoặc cải tiến một cách thử nghiệm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

What does “fiddle around” mean?

To toy or play (with something) in an idle, fidgety, aimless or unstructured way; to mess around (with); to muck around (with).

Is “fiddle around” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.