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
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Figuring out forward lines: Ever since the Panthers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo at the trade deadline, Maurice has been consistently tinkering with his forward lines to figure out how to best maximize production from his players.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
The new owners have spent the last few weeks quietly readying the space, tinkering with recipes; the breakfast sandwich and jerk chicken sandwich are now served on Jamaican-style coco bread with a golden sheen of crust.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Two Novembers ago, Harrison Chase was just another rank and file engineer at an AI startup, tinkering on a side project at Bay Area hackathons.
—Alex Konrad, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The Education Department has spent time tinkering with the details in ways that have assuaged advocates for rural students – or some of them, at least.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024
That meant that players who wanted to make a vehicle, for example, could tinker with different tools instead of being restricted to something basic like a wheel and a board.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
In 2020, one of Knauss' neighbors sought a protective order against him, similarly accusing Knauss of spraying foam in his home sewage pipes and sealing them shut, along with poisoning his lemon tree and tinkering with the air conditioning unit.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2024
Smith played solid football, but the Colts tinkered with moving him to right guard in an effort to find an answer.
—The Indianapolis Star, 22 Jan. 2024
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
Verb
And what is the latest thing with which he’s been tinkering?
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Figuring out forward lines: Ever since the Panthers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo at the trade deadline, Maurice has been consistently tinkering with his forward lines to figure out how to best maximize production from his players.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
The new owners have spent the last few weeks quietly readying the space, tinkering with recipes; the breakfast sandwich and jerk chicken sandwich are now served on Jamaican-style coco bread with a golden sheen of crust.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Two Novembers ago, Harrison Chase was just another rank and file engineer at an AI startup, tinkering on a side project at Bay Area hackathons.
—Alex Konrad, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The Education Department has spent time tinkering with the details in ways that have assuaged advocates for rural students – or some of them, at least.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024
That meant that players who wanted to make a vehicle, for example, could tinker with different tools instead of being restricted to something basic like a wheel and a board.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
In 2020, one of Knauss' neighbors sought a protective order against him, similarly accusing Knauss of spraying foam in his home sewage pipes and sealing them shut, along with poisoning his lemon tree and tinkering with the air conditioning unit.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2024
Smith played solid football, but the Colts tinkered with moving him to right guard in an effort to find an answer.
—The Indianapolis Star, 22 Jan. 2024
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
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Tinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinker. Accessed 20 Apr. 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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