as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity
I plan to spend the entire vacation just doodling
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Recent Examples of doodling
The design was inspired by the hair-tearing boredom of COVID lockdown-era remote work, a time in which Knafs founder Ben Petersen maintained sanity during Zoom calls by fidgeting around with pocket knives and doodling pictures.
—
New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
Like a lot of artists, Zard Apuya remembers being the kind of kid who was always doodling or drawing.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Their two oldest sat behind them in a drab conference room, doodling or staring blankly at the screen.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
As always with Gibney’s docs, there’s an abundance of archival material, covering records of Rushdie’s life but also doodling animation, images and film clips that provide a visual correlation to the subject’s thoughts.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
Loyal Devotion started his journey as an artist, doodling on his schoolwork while a sixth grader at Neal Math and Science Academy middle school in North Chicago.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Participate in this session, which includes a doodling activity led by artist Yurika Chiba, then transition to the main restorative sound bath session.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
The weekly planner also includes a habit tracker, monthly budget sheets, doodling pages, gratitude lists, and end-of-year wrap-ups to reflect, celebrate, and prepare for your next glow-up.
—Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 16 Dec. 2025
A certain James Gunn must have heeded this message, while doodling the Mighty Crabjoys logo in his notebook.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
Like a lot of artists, Zard Apuya remembers being the kind of kid who was always doodling or drawing.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Their two oldest sat behind them in a drab conference room, doodling or staring blankly at the screen.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
As always with Gibney’s docs, there’s an abundance of archival material, covering records of Rushdie’s life but also doodling animation, images and film clips that provide a visual correlation to the subject’s thoughts.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
Loyal Devotion started his journey as an artist, doodling on his schoolwork while a sixth grader at Neal Math and Science Academy middle school in North Chicago.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Participate in this session, which includes a doodling activity led by artist Yurika Chiba, then transition to the main restorative sound bath session.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
The weekly planner also includes a habit tracker, monthly budget sheets, doodling pages, gratitude lists, and end-of-year wrap-ups to reflect, celebrate, and prepare for your next glow-up.
—Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 16 Dec. 2025
A certain James Gunn must have heeded this message, while doodling the Mighty Crabjoys logo in his notebook.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doodling
playing
Verb
-
The Cubs went from playing in 100-plus degree weather for over a week in Arizona to wind chills in the upper 20s on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field in their 6-2 win over the Angels.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
These are the public spaces that guests mill about in—sipping a berry cooler at the long bar, enjoying a glass of malbec and a read by the stove, or playing monopoly at the communal table.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doodling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doodling. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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