To trifle with

To trifle with
Trifle Tri"fle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Trifled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Trifling}.] [OE. trifelen, truflen. See {Trifle}, n.] To act or talk without seriousness, gravity, weight, or dignity; to act or talk with levity; to indulge in light or trivial amusements. [1913 Webster]

They trifle, and they beat the air about nothing which toucheth us. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]

{To trifle with}, to play the fool with; to treat without respect or seriousness; to mock; as, to trifle with one's feelings, or with sacred things. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • trifle with somebody — ˈtrifle with sb/sth derived (formal) (used especially in negative sentences) to treat sb/sth without genuine respect • He is not a person to be trifled with. • You should not trifle with someone s affection …   Useful english dictionary

  • trifle with something — ˈtrifle with sb/sth derived (formal) (used especially in negative sentences) to treat sb/sth without genuine respect • He is not a person to be trifled with. • You should not trifle with someone s affection …   Useful english dictionary

  • trifle with — index mock (deride) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • trifle with — PLAY WITH, amuse oneself with, toy with, dally with, flirt with, play fast and loose with; informal mess about with; dated sport with. → trifle * * * trifle with [phrasal verb] trifle with (someone or something) : to treat or deal with (someone… …   Useful english dictionary

  • trifle with — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms trifle with : present tense I/you/we/they trifle with he/she/it trifles with present participle trifling with past tense trifled with past participle trifled with 1) trifle with something to deal with… …   English dictionary

  • trifle with — treat without seriousness or respect. → trifle …   English new terms dictionary

  • trifle with — you should never have trifled with her emotions Syn: play with, amuse oneself with, toy with, dally with, be flippant with, flirt with, play fast and loose with, mess about with; dated sport with …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • trifle with — PHRASAL VERB: usu with brd neg If you say that someone is not a person to be trifled with, you are indicating to other people that they must treat that person with respect. [be V ed P] He was not someone to be trifled with... [V P n] No man in… …   English dictionary

  • trifle with — Synonyms and related words: bat out, be disrespectful, be overfamiliar with, botch, bungle, dash off, disesteem, disparage, disrespect, do anyhow, do by halves, do carelessly, do offhand, fake up, fudge up, jury rig, knock off, knock out, knock… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • trifle with me — be careless about my feelings, mind games, toy with me    When John forgot that he asked me to go to the dance, I felt he was trifling with me …   English idioms

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