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
Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2025
Closer to home, the Marine Corps is tinkering with the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, a narco-boat capable of ferrying a pair of Naval Strike Missiles.
—Colin Demarest, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
Among its partners in Japan was a small distillery on the southern island of Kyushu called Shinozaki, whose owner, Hiroyuki Shinozaki, had already spent years tinkering with the Takamine process.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
On his home stove in Monroe, Frey spent two years tinkering.
—David Levine, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinker 
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Verb
Thanks to a break in production for the 2023 Hollywood strikes, Stiller got to spend a lot of time tinkering with season two.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2025
Closer to home, the Marine Corps is tinkering with the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, a narco-boat capable of ferrying a pair of Naval Strike Missiles.
—Colin Demarest, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
Among its partners in Japan was a small distillery on the southern island of Kyushu called Shinozaki, whose owner, Hiroyuki Shinozaki, had already spent years tinkering with the Takamine process.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
On his home stove in Monroe, Frey spent two years tinkering.
—David Levine, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinker
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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
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Dictionary Entries Near tinker
Cite this Entry
“Tinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinker. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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