doodle

UK: /ˈduːd^əl/ US: /ˈdudəl/ ,(do̅o̅d′l)

Inflections of 'doodle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

doodles

v 3rd person singular

doodling

v pres p

doodled

v past

doodled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

doo•dle¹ /ˈdudəl/   v., -dled, -dling, n. 

1. to draw or scribble idly: [no object]
   She was doodling on the paper when I called on her.
   [~ + object]
   doodling designs in the margin.

n. [countable]

2. a drawing produced by doodling.

doo•dler, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

doo•dle¹  (do̅o̅d′l), v., -dled, -dling, n. 
v.t., v.i. 

1. to draw or scribble idly:
   He doodled during the whole lecture.
2. to waste (time) in aimless or foolish activity.
3. Slang Terms [Dial.] to deceive;
   cheat.

n. 

4. a design, figure, or the like, made by idle scribbling.
5. [Archaic.] a foolish or silly person.

• origin, originally sense, fool (noun, nominal) 1935–40, American.

doo′dler, n. 

doo•dle²  (do̅o̅d′l), n. [Chiefly North Midland U.S.]

1. Dialect Terms a small pile of hay;
   haystack. Also called hay doodle. 

• a euphemism for cock³, to avoid association with cock¹, in sense "penis'' probably extracted from cock-a-doodle-do

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

doodle / ˈduːd^əl/ verb

1. to scribble or draw aimlessly
2. to play or improvise idly
3. (intransitive) often followed by away: to dawdle or waste time

noun

1. a shape, picture, etc, drawn aimlessly

Etymology: 20th Century: perhaps from C17 doodle a foolish person, but influenced in meaning by dawdle; compare Low German dudeltopf simpleton

ˈdoodler noun