tr.v. rid·dled, rid·dling, rid·dles 1. To pierce with numerous holes; perforate: riddle a target with bullets. 2. To spread throughout: "Election campaigns have always been riddled with demagogy and worse" (New Republic). 3. To put (gravel, for example) through a coarse sieve. n. A coarse sieve, as for gravel. [Middle English ridelen, to sift, from riddil, sieve, from Old English hriddel; see krei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] riddler n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.