tinker

1 of 2

verb

tin·​ker ˈtiŋ-kər 

tinkered; tinkering ˈtiŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: 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

transitive verb

: to repair, adjust, or experiment with

tinkerer

ˈtiŋ-kər-ər 

noun

tinker

2 of 2

noun

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

Verb

• diddle (with)
• fiddle (with)
• fool (with)
• mess (with)
• monkey (with)
• play (with)
• tamper (with)
• toy (with)
• twiddle (with)

Examples of tinker in a Sentence

Verb

He was tinkering in the garage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But if the idea of tinkering around with those things is appealing to you, the Oracle Jet offers (some) capability to do so as well. —Alaina Chou, Bon Appétit, 19 Feb. 2025

When people tinker with vital systems, things can go wrong. —Ron Lieber, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025

For now, the AI community will keep tinkering with what DeepSeek has to offer. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025

But modernizing the All-Star Game has always been tough, despite lots of tinkering. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tinkere

First Known Use

Verb

1655, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tinker

• give a tinker's damn
• tinker's dam
• tinker's damn
• worth a tinker's damn

Rhymes for tinker

• clinker
• drinker
• linker
• pinker
• sinker
• thinker
• freethinker

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids 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

tinkerer

-kər-ər 

noun