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
Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2024
Since the Boston Bruins’ tone-setting 6-4 loss on opening night to the Florida Panthers, general manager Don Sweeney has tinkered with his roster’s periphery.
—Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
For the remainder of the film, Sorvino putters around the Pole tinkering with his sled, doing step aerobics with the elves, and performing in a jazz quartet.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Amazon is pushing more of its films to theaters and is reportedly tinkering with its own compensation strategy.
—Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinker 
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Verb
Kimball started tinkering with a basic snickerdoodle recipe that traditionally starts with sugar, butter, shortening, eggs, vanilla and cream of tartar.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2024
Since the Boston Bruins’ tone-setting 6-4 loss on opening night to the Florida Panthers, general manager Don Sweeney has tinkered with his roster’s periphery.
—Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
For the remainder of the film, Sorvino putters around the Pole tinkering with his sled, doing step aerobics with the elves, and performing in a jazz quartet.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Amazon is pushing more of its films to theaters and is reportedly tinkering with its own compensation strategy.
—Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2024
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 17 Dec. 2024.
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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