trickle

1 of 2

verb

trick·​le ˈtri-kəl 

trickled; trickling ˈtri-k(ə-)liŋ 

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

Synonyms of trickle

Verb

• drip
• flow

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

Customers were consistently trickling through the doors; the brick shop features large windows and warm earthy colors, tucked just inside the SoHo Lofts Condominiums. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026

Along with the players, fans have started trickling into the host cities. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 8 June 2026

Noun

There’s also been a trickle of vessels willing to transit the strait, either as part of government-to-government deals, risk-taking enterprise or, more recently, with help from the US. —Devika Krishna Kumar, Fortune, 6 June 2026

This kind of broad, slapstick parody needs a steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments, but the new Scary Movie generates barely a trickle. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026

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

Phrases Containing trickle

• trickle-down
• trickle-down theory

Rhymes for trickle

• druidical
• fickle
• mickle
• nickel
• nickle
• nicol
• pickle
• prickle
• sickle
• tickle
• microscopical
• ventricle

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