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)
Synonyms of tricklenext

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Over the last few days, Fragment Design founder Hiroshi Fujiwara has been slowly trickling out teasers of a previously unseen Fragment Design x Nike Mind 002 sneaker with an all-new Flyknit upper. Riley Jones, Footwear News, 1 Feb. 2026 Bitcoin mining currently provides a trickling inflow of new tokens, but will eventually come to a halt when someone mines the 21 millionth coin. Jason Phillips, Ascend Agency, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
The best way to do this is to place your money tree in your sink or in a large bowl and to water deeply until water trickles out of the pot’s drainage holes. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2026 As more information trickles out of Iran, the sheer scale of the massacres committed by the regime against unarmed protesters is becoming clearer by the day. Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trickle

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickle. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.

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

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