Riddle Definition

rĭdl

riddled, riddles, riddling

verb

riddled, riddles, riddling

To solve or explain.

American Heritage

To solve or explain (a riddle)

Webster's New World

To make many holes in; puncture throughout.

A body riddled with bullets.

Webster's New World

To spread throughout.

American Heritage

To propound riddles; speak enigmatically.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

noun

riddles

A problem or puzzle in the form of a question, statement, etc. so formulated that some ingenuity is required to solve or answer it.

Webster's New World

A coarse sieve for grading gravel, separating chaff from grain, etc.

Webster's New World

Any puzzling, perplexing, or apparently inexplicable person or thing, as a difficult problem or enigmatic saying; enigma.

Webster's New World

A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

pronoun

Wiktionary

A city in Oregon.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Riddle

Singular:

riddle

Plural:

From Middle English riddil, ridelle (“sieve") from Old English hriddel (“sieve"), alteration of earlier hridder, hrÄ«der from Proto-Germanic *hridÄ… (“sieve"), from Proto-Germanic *hrid- (“to shake"), from Proto-Indo-European *krey-. Akin to German Reiter (“sieve"), Old Norse hreinn (“pure, clean"), Old High German hreini (“pure, clean"), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (hrains, “clean, pure"). More at rinse.

From Wiktionary
Middle English redel, redels, from Old English rÇ£dels, rÇ£delse (“counsel", "opinion", "imagination", "riddle"), from Proto-Germanic *rÄ“dislijÄ… (“counsel, conjecture"). Akin to Old Saxon rādisli (Dutch raadsel), Old High German rādisle (German Rätsel (“riddle")), Old English rÇ£dan (“to read, advise, interpret").

From Wiktionary
Middle English ridelen to sift from riddil sieve from Old English hriddel krei- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English redels from Old English rǣdels ar- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition