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
Verb
As most of his teammates trickled back into the clubhouse after a morning practice at Camelback Ranch last week, Mookie Betts remained planted on the infield dirt of Field 2 at the Dodgers’ spring training facility. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Nearby, voters steadily trickled in and out of a polling station, where a Territorial Defense unit equipped with first-aid supplies was on duty. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Everything trickles down from the top, so if the boss isn't respectful and kind and treats others the way they should be treated, then that's going to be looked at as the example. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 Messi also scored in the 57th minute, an awkward body shot that trickled in from close range after a goal-line clearance off the crossbar. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 Even when the show paused shooting amid the SAG-AFTRA strike, new details about casting, plot, and production continued to trickle in. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2024 Attendance trickled to just a few dozen as the webinar series continued. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 Many science sleuths had grown frustrated after their concerns seemed to be ignored or as investigations trickled along slowly and without a public resolution. Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024 In the past few years, regulatory bodies overseeing high-level sports have struggled to find a balance between inclusion and fair play, and the issue’s prominence in right-wing media has trickled down to impact even local recreational sports. Michelle Watson, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Related article Why only a trickle of aid is getting into Gaza In January, US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley saw maternity kits and water filtration systems among the items Israel turned back from its inspection point in Nitzana. Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Israel's near-complete seal on Gaza has left almost the entire population reliant on a trickle of international aid able to enter the territory each day. Aamer Madhani, Matthew Lee, Zeke Miller, Wafaa Shurafa and Jack Jeffery The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Jan. 2024 As the trickle of aid has increased, more food products, such as canned meat, tuna and cheese, have become available. Loay Ayyoub, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024 That trickle is set to turn into a flood over the next five years, according to Wall Street analysts. Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2024 Israel's seal on the territory, which allows in only a trickle of food and other aid, has sparked alarm that a famine could be imminent, according to the United Nations. Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2024 But the Colorado’s flow was inconsistent, fiercely fickle between torrential floods and trickles. Cassidy Randall, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2024 Rainwater trickles off the roof and softly down the wood like a light shower in a rain forest, Rice said. David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 17 Feb. 2024 And then, for the next few minutes, the two prepare together as the rest of the team trickles onto the ice. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trickle.' 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

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 28 Mar. 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

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