: a coarse sieve
riddled; riddling
ˈrid-liŋ 
ˈri-dᵊl-iŋ
Did you know?
Riddle Me This
Riddle comes from an Old English word meaning "opinion" or "conjecture" that is related to a verb meaning "to interpret."
Examples of riddle in a Sentence
Noun (1)
his motives for starting an argument with the coach were a complete riddle
Verb (2)
several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot
the newspaper exposé revealed a gaming commission that is riddled with corruption
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
His fans and followers enjoy solving the riddles through the screen, and the comments usually reflect the level of difficulty or ease of each game.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
There’s been a series of starts and stops with Lehrer’s case, which Emma claims is riddled with corruption.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riddle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
And then there is the research on the astronauts themselves that could have knock-on effects both for helping crews stay healthier on long-duration deep space missions, and also provide new clues to the riddle of aging—and perhaps slow it down.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
His fans and followers enjoy solving the riddles through the screen, and the comments usually reflect the level of difficulty or ease of each game.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
Seattle’s defense has been riddled with injuries, but should be in good shape with cornerback Devon Witherspoon, safety Julian Love and outside linebacker Derick Hall expected to return this week against the Washington Commanders.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
There’s been a series of starts and stops with Lehrer’s case, which Emma claims is riddled with corruption.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riddle
Cite this Entry
“Riddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riddle. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
riddle
3 of 4 noun
: a coarse sieve
riddle
4 of 4 verb
riddled; riddling
ˈrid-liŋ
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to sift or separate with or as if with a riddle
2
a
: to pierce with many holes
riddled the car with bullets
b
: to spread through
a book riddled with mistakes
Etymology
Noun
Old English rǣdelse "opinion, riddle"
Noun
Old English hriddel "a coarse sieve"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share