meddling
part of speech
noun (meddling, uncountable); adjective (meddling); verb (-ing form of meddle)
meaning for a pupil
1) (noun) The act of getting involved in other people's business when you are not wanted. tree →
2) (adjective) Often interfering in other people's affairs: «a meddling neighbour». tree →
3) (verb form) «-ing» form of «meddle»: «Stop meddling!» tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, a meddling character (an aunt, a neighbour, a nosy fairy) causes problems by interfering. In history and news, «foreign meddling» means one country interfering in another's politics. In everyday life adults say «Stop meddling!» to children fiddling with things. Phrases: «a meddling busybody», «foreign meddling».
examples
- The meddling neighbour told everyone our news. tree →
- Her meddling made the problem worse. tree →
- Stop meddling with the thermostat! tree →
- The villain shouted about «meddling kids». tree →
- There were claims of foreign meddling in the election. tree →
- The meddling cat knocked the jigsaw off the table. tree →
- Thanks to his meddling, the surprise party was ruined. tree →
- Grandad hates meddling, so he lets us solve our own problems. tree →
- Running to her father, she told him of her Brother's conceit, and accused him of meddling with his mother's things. tree →
note
Form of «meddle». As a noun it is uncountable. Homophone trap: «medalling» (winning a medal, in sports talk) sounds similar. Spelling: double d, «-ling». Not a maths word.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «meddling» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.