tinkered; tinkering
ˈtiŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 
: to work in the manner of a tinker
especially
: to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or experimental manner : fiddle
always tinkering with his car
: to repair, adjust, or experiment with
plural tinkers
1
a
: a usually itinerant mender of household utensils
b
: an unskillful mender : bungler
2
chiefly Ireland, sometimes offensive
: romani sense 1
Synonyms
Examples of tinker in a Sentence
Verb
He was tinkering in the garage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Manny Navarro, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
More relevant to their quest to become the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowls, the Chiefs will have a chance to rest key starters but also keep tinkering with the left tackle issue that remains worrisome.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2025
Avery had started tinkering with a four-track machine to record himself at home.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Meanwhile, off-island somewhere in the ocean… Captain Park, who has been helping Jun-ho and his increasingly small army search for Gi-hun, is caught tinkering with (sabotaging) the drone that nearly found the compound earlier that day.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinker 
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Verb
Cristobal has been busy tinkering with the roster since.
—Manny Navarro, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
More relevant to their quest to become the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowls, the Chiefs will have a chance to rest key starters but also keep tinkering with the left tackle issue that remains worrisome.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2025
Avery had started tinkering with a four-track machine to record himself at home.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Meanwhile, off-island somewhere in the ocean… Captain Park, who has been helping Jun-ho and his increasingly small army search for Gi-hun, is caught tinkering with (sabotaging) the drone that nearly found the compound earlier that day.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinker
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Dictionary Entries Near tinker
Cite this Entry
“Tinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinker. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tinker
1 of 2 noun
tin·ker
ˈtiŋ-kər
: a person who travels around and earns a living by repairing household utensils (as pots and pans)
tinker
2 of 2 verb
tinkered; tinkering
ˈtiŋ-k(ə-)riŋ
: to repair or adjust something in an unskilled or experimental manner
tinkering with his car
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