tingle

1 of 2

verb

tin·​gle ˈtiŋ-gəl How to pronounce tingle (audio)
tingled; tingling ˈtiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce tingle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
a
: to feel a ringing, stinging, prickling, or thrilling sensation
b
: to cause such a sensation
2
tinglingly adverb
tingly adjective

tingle

2 of 2

noun

plural tingles
: a tingling sensation : a usually slight ringing, stinging, prickling, or thrilling sensation
She felt a tingle of excitement/anticipation.
It offers the palate-pleasing tingle of a bubbly soda with a much-simplified ingredient list of often nothing more than water and carbonation.Chelsey Dulaney
Soon my thinking cleared up, but the surges renewed—pain, and a frisson of electricity around the eye, into the cheek, a vague tingle.Sallie Tisdale

Examples of tingle in a Sentence

Verb My arm was numb and tingling. awoke to the steady pitter-patter of raindrops tingling on the rooftop
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Beginning in July 2022, Charron, who was 40 at the time, was experiencing chills and tingling that traveled from her head and neck down her back and arms, reports TODAY.com. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024 The flavor will have your taste buds tingling, amplified by the optimal criss-cross shape. Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024 Related article Experiencing the tingling taboo of ASMR in real life Since then, research has exploded, said Zeman, who authored a review of the science on aphantasia published Wednesday in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024 Some people might develop numbness, tingling hands and feet, and pale skin.9 Smoking Smoking tobacco products results in vasoconstriction due to nicotine content.10 Vasoconstriction can cause the temperature of body parts furthest from the heart—namely the fingers and toes—to drop. Dr. Roshini Raj, Health, 19 Mar. 2024 Topiramate brings other risks, including birth defects, tingling sensations, and changes in mood. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024 As our newborn snored in his car seat, my body tingled with anxiety. Clarissa Wei, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2024 That disrupts signals to and from the brain, leading to a range of symptoms, including tingling, numbness, blurred vision and fatigue, among others. Andrew Abrahams, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 Videos of Chinese scalp treatments on social media are popular among seekers of ASMR — autonomous sensory meridian response — in which certain sounds promote tingling, goosebumps and other relaxing sensations. Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
Insane tingling that just has spurts of tingles that are weird coming from like my butt down. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024 The designer, who wore an argyle sweater that looked like a collaboration with knitwear specialist Wolsey, is engaged in a process that generates tingles of ASMR satisfaction in order to achieve environmental self-enlightenment through purposeful repetition. Luke Leitch, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024 Part of it has nothing to do with organizing itself: The videos fall into the broad, wildly popular genre of ASMR, which means that their audio is intended to generate an autonomous sensory meridian response—i.e., brain tingles—that can feel soothing or relaxing. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 8 Jan. 2024 Sometimes her chin tingles or itches, which drives Tashay a bit batty. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2024 Dropping the needle on Nothing’s Shocking in particular, but also much of Ritual de lo Habitual and Jane’s Addiction, puts tingles down my spine and flips me into that space again—that exhilarated state of shock. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2024 Sometimes, people find ASMR annoying or can share feelings of calm and relaxation from videos without feeling the tingles. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 13 Oct. 2023 Both carry the peculiar tingle of the familiar, and most of the time either will do. Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 The essay, which begins with him noticing the beauty of a woman who is not his wife—a courageous admission that made my spine tingle—serves as a bracing tonic that reminds us not everything superficial is shallow. WIRED, 25 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tingle.' 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, alteration of tinklen to tinkle, tingle

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near tingle

Cite this Entry

“Tingle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tingle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

tingle

verb
tin·​gle ˈtiŋ-gəl How to pronounce tingle (audio)
tingled; tingling ˈtiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce tingle (audio)
: to feel or cause a prickling or thrilling sensation
tingle noun
tingly adjective

Medical Definition

tingle

intransitive verb
tin·​gle ˈtiŋ-gəl How to pronounce tingle (audio)
tingled; tingling -g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce tingle (audio)
: to feel a stinging or prickling sensation
tingle noun

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