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

Meanwhile, the house is buzzing as family members trickle in. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2025

Another category of solution that has trickled over is low-impact wash techniques. —Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025

Noun

Those figures don’t include the heavy trickle that Barclay said already began to occur on Bay Area freeways late last week. —Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

However, now and in the months ahead, the money magic may slow down — not evaporate entirely, but slow to a trickle. —Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025

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

• fickle
• mickle
• nickel
• nickle
• nicol
• pickle
• prickle
• sickle
• tickle
• 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