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
John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Sep. 2023
The 63-year-old retired machinist tinkered with his car, an old police cruiser, for a couple of months.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
My music practice came from just tinkering on my computer, but people seem to really connect with the camp and kitsch of it all.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 16 Aug. 2023
The Dodgers sat down with each of them, offered some advice, tinkered with some mechanics, and voila: Lynn is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his first three starts with the Dodgers and Kelly has given up just one hit with seven strikeouts in 3 ⅔ shutout innings.
—Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2023
Last month, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens hinted that he was not finished tinkering with the roster.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023
The Ninth is one of the closest things the classical canon has to a holy text; tinkering with it no doubt amounts to sacrilege for some listeners.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2023
Dallas will use more slide protection, something the Cowboys tinkered with in the past.
—Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
Owner Darwin Wai is a mad scientist of sorts, always tinkering with his flavors and making gelato out of ingredients like Thai basil, blue corn and balsamic vinegar.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2023
Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Feb. 2023
Major whiskey brands like to tinker with their formula when coming up with new series and collections.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 July 2022
This capability would allow scientists to give an organism’s DNA an extreme makeover, rather than just tinker with it.
—Ed Regis, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2010
Evansville Day didn't tinker with Rivet, scoring a 67-32 result in the win column on February 1 in Indiana boys high school basketball.
—Indy Star Ai Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Feb. 2023
Beyond that, Antonetti and company didn’t tinker with the Guardians’ still very-young core, which features plenty of speed and aggressiveness.
—Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
Netflix film that streams Friday, Jan. 13, does not tinker with the formula.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2023
The Lumineers tinker on the sound system, and there are strategic candles that smell invigorating and a little mysterious (amberwood, pine, and fig).
—Ben Court, Men's Health, 22 Dec. 2022
Tesla engineers will continue to tinker with the Cybertruck model, with an eye on 2023, Musk said.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2022
See More
Verb
Floyd began tinkering with the idea of a museum a few years ago and used local contacts to help with the project, including a $48,000 grant from the Indiana Historical Society.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Sep. 2023
The 63-year-old retired machinist tinkered with his car, an old police cruiser, for a couple of months.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
My music practice came from just tinkering on my computer, but people seem to really connect with the camp and kitsch of it all.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 16 Aug. 2023
The Dodgers sat down with each of them, offered some advice, tinkered with some mechanics, and voila: Lynn is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his first three starts with the Dodgers and Kelly has given up just one hit with seven strikeouts in 3 ⅔ shutout innings.
—Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2023
Last month, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens hinted that he was not finished tinkering with the roster.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023
The Ninth is one of the closest things the classical canon has to a holy text; tinkering with it no doubt amounts to sacrilege for some listeners.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2023
Dallas will use more slide protection, something the Cowboys tinkered with in the past.
—Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
Owner Darwin Wai is a mad scientist of sorts, always tinkering with his flavors and making gelato out of ingredients like Thai basil, blue corn and balsamic vinegar.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2023
Noun
Teams largely use a first-of-the-year preseason test to tinker with setup ideas envisioned during the offseason or to test new parts and their effectiveness.
—Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Feb. 2023
Major whiskey brands like to tinker with their formula when coming up with new series and collections.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 July 2022
This capability would allow scientists to give an organism’s DNA an extreme makeover, rather than just tinker with it.
—Ed Regis, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2010
Evansville Day didn't tinker with Rivet, scoring a 67-32 result in the win column on February 1 in Indiana boys high school basketball.
—Indy Star Ai Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Feb. 2023
Beyond that, Antonetti and company didn’t tinker with the Guardians’ still very-young core, which features plenty of speed and aggressiveness.
—Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
Netflix film that streams Friday, Jan. 13, does not tinker with the formula.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2023
The Lumineers tinker on the sound system, and there are strategic candles that smell invigorating and a little mysterious (amberwood, pine, and fig).
—Ben Court, Men's Health, 22 Dec. 2022
Tesla engineers will continue to tinker with the Cybertruck model, with an eye on 2023, Musk said.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tinker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of tinker was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing tinker
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Dictionary Entries Near tinker
Cite this Entry
“Tinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinker. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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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
More from Merriam-Webster on tinker
Nglish: Translation of tinker for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tinker for Arabic Speakers
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