Standard Lemma guide

meddle

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɛd.əl/
  • [ˈmɛɾəɫ] US, t-flapping
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛdəl
  • homophone: medal
  • homophone: metal (t-flapping)
  • homophone: mettle (t-flapping)
  • CMU ARPABET: M EH1 D AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To interfere in or with; to concern oneself with unduly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dabble, stick one's nose into, stick one's oar in

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To interest or engage oneself; to have to do (with), in a good sense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To mix (something) with some other substance; to commingle, combine, blend.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bemingle, combine, ming, admix, amalgamate, blend, commingle, intermingle, intermix, involve, mang, meddle, mingle, mix, mix up

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To have sex.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, intransitive, regional

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: do it, get it on, ming, approach, cohabit, common, company, copulate, couple, engage in sex, exchange flesh, have intimate relations, have marital relations, have sex, have sexual relations, intercourse, know, know someone in the biblical sense, make love, mate, share a bed, sleep together, strain, bang, bauf, beat, bone, boff, boink, bonk, bop, bounce, breed, bump nasties, bump uglies, catch a dick, clap cheeks, dance, discuss Uganda, dip one's pen in someone's inkwell, do the deed, do the nasty, eff, engender, expletive deleted, frack, frak, frick, frig, fuck, get busy, get down, get freaky, get it, get jiggy, get laid, get lucky, get one's dick wet, get one's end away, get one's freak on, get one's groove on, get one's leg over, get one's oats, get physical, get some, get the dirty water off one's chest, graft the forked tree, go all the way, haul one's ashes, have it away, have it off, hide the salami, hide the sausage, hide the wienie, hike the Appalachian Trail, hook up, hump, jig-jig, knock boots, lay pipe, lay the pipe, make it, make out, make the beast with two backs, make whoopee, meddle, Netflix and chill, penetrate, pipe, pipe down, play, play hide the sausage, pound, rail, ride, rock and roll, roger, roll around, root, screw, see someone's etchings, sex, shag, shaboink, shelve, show someone one's etchings, slap bellies, stick, tumble

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

intrude in other people's affairs or business; interfere unwantedly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Don't meddle in my affairs!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tamper

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: intervene, step in, interfere, interpose

History

Etymology

From Middle English medlen, from Anglo-Norman medler, from Early Medieval Latin misculāre, derived from Latin misceō (“to mix”).

Across languages

Translations

67 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: qarışmaq — to interfere in affairs
  • Azerbaijani: qatışmaq — to interfere in affairs
  • Bulgarian: меся се (mesja se) — to interfere in affairs
  • Catalan: ficar-se — to interfere in affairs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 插手 (chāshǒu) — to interfere in affairs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 干預 (gānyù) — to interfere in affairs
  • Czech: vměšovat — to interfere in affairs
  • Czech: plést se — to interfere in affairs
  • Czech: zasahovat — to interfere in affairs
  • Czech: míchat se — to interfere in affairs
  • Dutch: zich moeien — to interfere in affairs
  • Dutch: tussenkomen — to interfere in affairs
  • Dutch: bemoeien — to interfere in affairs
  • Finnish: sekaantua — to interfere in affairs
  • Finnish: sotkeentua — to interfere in affairs
  • Finnish: sotkeutua — to interfere in affairs
  • French: s'ingérer — to interfere in affairs
  • French: se mêler — to interfere in affairs
  • Galician: meterse — to interfere in affairs
  • Galician: entremeter — to interfere in affairs
  • German: sich einmischen — to interfere in affairs
  • Greek: ανακατεύομαι (anakatévomai) — to interfere in affairs
  • Ancient Greek: πολυπραγμονέω (polupragmonéō) — to interfere in affairs
  • Hebrew: התערב — to interfere in affairs
  • Hungarian: beleavatkozik — to interfere in affairs
  • Italian: immischiarsi — to interfere in affairs
  • Japanese: おせっかいをする (o-sekkai-o suru) — to interfere in affairs
  • Latin: admisceō — to interfere in affairs
  • Latin: immisceo — to interfere in affairs
  • Macedonian: се ме́ша (se méša) — to interfere in affairs
  • Māori: raweke — to interfere in affairs
  • Māori: auwaha — to interfere in affairs
  • Māori: rahurahu — to interfere in affairs
  • Māori: haukeke — to interfere in affairs
  • Māori: hūrau — to interfere in affairs
  • Māori: whawhe — to interfere in affairs
  • Portuguese: intrometer — to interfere in affairs
  • Romanian: băga — to interfere in affairs
  • Romanian: amesteca — to interfere in affairs
  • Romanian: băga nasul unde nu-i fierbe oala — to interfere in affairs
  • Romanian: interveni — to interfere in affairs
  • Russian: вме́шиваться (vméšivatʹsja) — to interfere in affairs
  • Russian: вмеша́ться (vmešátʹsja) — to interfere in affairs
  • Russian: лезть (leztʹ) — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: entrometerse — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: inmiscuirse — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: injerirse — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: mangonear — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: entremeterse — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: caciquear — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: inserirse — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: shutear — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: meterse donde no lo llaman — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: meterse donde nadie lo llama — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: meterse en lo que no le importa — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: meterse en lo que no le toca — to interfere in affairs
  • Spanish: meterse en lo que no le va ni le viene — to interfere in affairs
  • Swedish: lägga sig i — to interfere in affairs
  • Tagalog: manghimasok — to interfere in affairs
  • Tagalog: makialam — to interfere in affairs
  • Turkish: burnunu sokmak — to interfere in affairs
  • Ottoman Turkish: پرمقلمق (parmaklamak) — to interfere in affairs
  • Ottoman Turkish: یاپشمق (yapışmak) — to interfere in affairs
  • Finnish: sekoittaa — to mix with other substance
  • Georgian: შეურევს (šeurevs) — to mix with other substance
  • Russian: сме́шивать (sméšivatʹ) — to mix with other substance
  • Russian: смеша́ть (smešátʹ) — to mix with other substance