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
Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2025
But all week my husband tinkered around the house, taking care of it, the baby and me.
—Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
But to date, the U.S. has not publicly provided evidence of TikTok handing user data to Chinese authorities or tinkering with its algorithm to benefit Chinese interests.
—Haleluya Hadero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Yet Slot keeps tinkering and tweaking while reminding his players at half-time that hard running is not an optional requirement to winning games.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tinker 
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Verb
But one project that the director has been tinkering away at for years, in between films, is his dream of writing a book about his profession.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2025
But all week my husband tinkered around the house, taking care of it, the baby and me.
—Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
But to date, the U.S. has not publicly provided evidence of TikTok handing user data to Chinese authorities or tinkering with its algorithm to benefit Chinese interests.
—Haleluya Hadero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Yet Slot keeps tinkering and tweaking while reminding his players at half-time that hard running is not an optional requirement to winning games.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tinker
Video
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 2 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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