1
: a food paste made usually with egg and shaped typically in ribbon form
2
: a buoyant, flexible cylinder of polyethylene foam used as an aid in swimming or staying afloat in water
Grasp the pool noodle with hands about shoulder-width apart, then extend arms straight out in front of you on the water's surface …—
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
noodled; noodling
ˈnüd-liŋ,
ˈnü-dᵊl-iŋ
: to improvise on an instrument in an informal or desultory manner
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Examples of noodle in a Sentence
Verb
He was just noodling around on the guitar.
It's a thought I've been noodling around with for some time.
Recent Examples on the WebBill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Teigen then posed for a snap with Luna and son Miles Theodore, 5, before sharing photos of the family tucking into Thai dishes including noodles.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Instead of the classic thin rice noodles called bihon, cookbook author Abi Balingit prefers udon, which gives the dish a delightful chewy texture.
—Abi Balingit, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Often served at Passover, kugel is a savory or sweet baked casserole that's made with potatoes (like this one) or with noodles.
—Julia Levy, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024
Manischewitz Matzo, matzo meal, matzo ball mix, matzo farfel, egg noodles and more will wear new stylish boxes and wrappers, reminiscent of many DTC and Gen Z founded brands.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Any diner who’s eaten at Flour + Water has had their mind expanded by the experience of tucking into a bowl of noodles where the convergence of sauce, sourcing, cooking, and presentation has reached a new bliss-inducing expression.
—Sunset Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
There’s a whole category of TikTok recipes with these chewy wonderful noodles.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 19 Mar. 2024
The administration has sent out warning letters when dye usages were not disclosed – like when yellow 6 in dehydrated papaya or blue 1 in noodle products were undeclared.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024
Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
For the ravioli, a machine presses noodles together to create rows of pasta pockets.
—Allison Dikanovic, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
First, there are companies noodling on new forms of computers — like glasses, jewelry, robots or pager-like doodads that are supposedly tailored for AI.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024
That dimension is that noodling is fun as hell, and challenging.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023
The results can be discomfiting, as when the camera shows us two characters sitting in a parking lot through a bank window, with a teller noodling around in the foreground.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
Regular lasagna noodles with wavy edges will add more texture to the final dish.
—Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023
September 1 Saucy cumin noodles This recipe by Bon Appétit contributor Zaynab Issa has been on my list for a long time.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 1 Sep. 2023
And yet, time spent searching, noodling, and browsing online tends to feel narrow and airless, like being led toward an unforeseeable, and too often, regrettable conclusion.
—Suzannah Showler, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
Noun
Jenn Harris has a new favorite lunch in Los Angeles: a naked plate of noodles.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Teigen then posed for a snap with Luna and son Miles Theodore, 5, before sharing photos of the family tucking into Thai dishes including noodles.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Instead of the classic thin rice noodles called bihon, cookbook author Abi Balingit prefers udon, which gives the dish a delightful chewy texture.
—Abi Balingit, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Often served at Passover, kugel is a savory or sweet baked casserole that's made with potatoes (like this one) or with noodles.
—Julia Levy, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024
Manischewitz Matzo, matzo meal, matzo ball mix, matzo farfel, egg noodles and more will wear new stylish boxes and wrappers, reminiscent of many DTC and Gen Z founded brands.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Any diner who’s eaten at Flour + Water has had their mind expanded by the experience of tucking into a bowl of noodles where the convergence of sauce, sourcing, cooking, and presentation has reached a new bliss-inducing expression.
—Sunset Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
There’s a whole category of TikTok recipes with these chewy wonderful noodles.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 19 Mar. 2024
The administration has sent out warning letters when dye usages were not disclosed – like when yellow 6 in dehydrated papaya or blue 1 in noodle products were undeclared.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
Cook noodles according to package directions until just al dente.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
For the ravioli, a machine presses noodles together to create rows of pasta pockets.
—Allison Dikanovic, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
First, there are companies noodling on new forms of computers — like glasses, jewelry, robots or pager-like doodads that are supposedly tailored for AI.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024
That dimension is that noodling is fun as hell, and challenging.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023
The results can be discomfiting, as when the camera shows us two characters sitting in a parking lot through a bank window, with a teller noodling around in the foreground.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
Regular lasagna noodles with wavy edges will add more texture to the final dish.
—Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023
September 1 Saucy cumin noodles This recipe by Bon Appétit contributor Zaynab Issa has been on my list for a long time.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 1 Sep. 2023
And yet, time spent searching, noodling, and browsing online tends to feel narrow and airless, like being led toward an unforeseeable, and too often, regrettable conclusion.
—Suzannah Showler, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noodle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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Dictionary Entries Near noodle
Cite this Entry
“Noodle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noodle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
noodle
noun
noo·dle
ˈnüd-ᵊl
: a thin strip of dough made from flour, water, and usually eggs and cooked by boiling
More from Merriam-Webster on noodle
Nglish: Translation of noodle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about noodle
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