tinker

1 of 2

verb

tin·​ker ˈtiŋ-kər 

tinkered; tinkering ˈtiŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: 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

transitive verb

: to repair, adjust, or experiment with

tinkerer

ˈtiŋ-kər-ər 

noun

tinker

2 of 2

noun

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 of tinker

Verb

• play (with)
• toy (with)
• tamper (with)
• fool (with)
• fiddle (with)
• mess (with)
• monkey (with)

Examples of tinker in a Sentence

Verb

He was tinkering in the garage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Under pressure to tweak the rules this spring, the department again declined to monitor school quality and tinkered only with how parents can use the funds on items other than tuition, banning them from paying for travel sports teams, for instance. — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 15 July 2026

Leonardo DiCaprio adds heart as Dom Cobb, a troubled leader of a dream team on a mission to enter and tinker around with the dreams of a man (Cillian Murphy) who’s heir to a wealthy and dying energy magnate. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 July 2026

Noun

The Academy also made a bunch of other tinkers. — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2026

Miami Dolphins fans who thought the new regime might come in with a tinker and a tweak learned otherwise with a sudden jolt on Monday. — Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2026

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

Phrases Containing tinker

• give a tinker's damn
• tinker's dam
• tinker's damn
• worth a tinker's damn

Rhymes for tinker

• clinker
• drinker
• linker
• pinker
• sinker
• thinker
• freethinker

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

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

tinkerer

-kər-ər 

noun