trickle

1 of 2

verb

trick·​le ˈtri-kəl How to pronounce trickle (audio)
trickled; trickling ˈtri-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce trickle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
a
: to issue or fall in drops
b
: to flow in a thin gentle stream
2
a
: to move or go one by one or little by little
customers began to trickle in
b
: to dissipate slowly
his enthusiasm trickled away

trickle

2 of 2

noun

: a thin, slow, or intermittent stream or movement

Examples of trickle in a Sentence

Verb Tears trickled down her cheeks. Water was trickling out of the gutter. People trickled into the theater. Donations have been trickling in. Noun We heard the trickle of water from the roof. The flow of water slowed to a trickle. Sales have slowed to a trickle in recent weeks. A slow trickle of customers came into the store throughout the day.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Verb
These expectations have trickled over into the sales cycle. Nikolaus Kimla, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 This increased mortgages for homeowners, which often trickled down into rent prices. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
The flight of production from L.A. started as a trickle. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024 Natural gas pipeline exports dried up, with a trickle still passing through Ukraine and up to 38 billion cubic meters per year going to China. Suriya Jayanti, TIME, 20 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trickle 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English trikelen, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trickle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near trickle

Cite this Entry

“Trickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickle. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

trickle

verb
trick·​le
ˈtrik-əl
trickled; trickling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
a
: to flow or fall in drops
water trickling from a leaky faucet
b
: to flow in a thin slow stream
syrup trickling from the bottle
2
a
: to move or go one by one or little by little
customers trickled in
b
: to slowly grow less
his excitement trickled away
trickle noun

More from Merriam-Webster on trickle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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