Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To intrude into other people's affairs or business; interfere.
  • intransitive verb To handle something carelessly or ignorantly; tamper.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To mix; mingle.
  • To be mixed or mingled; mix.
  • To mingle in association or interest; concern one's self; take part; deal: generally requiring with in construction.
  • To interfere or take part inappropriately, improperly, or impertinently; concern or busy one's self with or about something without necessity or warrant; act in a matter with which one has no business: used absolutely, or followed by in or with.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To mix; to mingle.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To mix; to mingle.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To interest or engage one's self; to have to do; -- in a good sense.
  • intransitive verb To interest or engage one's self unnecessarily or impertinently, to interfere or busy one's self improperly with another's affairs; specifically, to handle or distrub another's property without permission; -- often followed by with or in.
  • intransitive verb [Archaic] to intrude one's self into another person's concerns.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

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

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English medlen, from Anglo-Norman medler, variant of Old French mesler, from Vulgar Latin *misculāre, to mix thoroughly, from Latin miscēre, to mix; see meik- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman medler, variant of Anglo-Norman and Old French mesler, meller, from Late Latin misculare, from Latin miscere ("to mix").

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Examples

Comments

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  • Meddle (1)

    A haiku by the American Heritage Dictionary

    To intrude into

    other people's affairs or

    business; interfere.

    May 10, 2012

  • yay! dictionary haiku!

    May 10, 2012

  • beautiful

    May 11, 2012