# fiddle about

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fiddle-about
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to spend time doing small, unimportant things or to play with something in a nervous way.

For teachers: to engage in aimless or unproductive activity; to manipulate an object restlessly or ineffectually. Often carries a connotation of wasting time or lacking focus.

## Examples

- Stop fiddling about with your pen and listen to me.
- We spent the whole afternoon fiddling about with the printer, but it still won't connect to the Wi-Fi.
- While the committee fiddled about with minor administrative details, the core budget crisis remained entirely unaddressed by the leadership.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He was fiddling about the engine for hours." but "He was fiddling about with the engine for hours." — when 'fiddle about' takes a physical object, it almost always requires the preposition 'with'.

## Usage notes

- often used when the speaker is frustrated by someone's lack of progress or focus.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'fiddle with' (which usually involves a specific object) versus 'fiddle about' (which often describes general time-wasting); note that 'fiddle around' is the common American equivalent.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.