trickled; trickling
ˈtri-k(ə-)liŋ 
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
: a thin, slow, or intermittent stream or movement
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
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Strait of Hormuz transit slows to trickle Traffic is nearly nonexistent in the Straight of Hormuz, meanwhile, as oil tankers remain fearful that their vessels will be caught in the war’s crossfire.
—Pia Singh,azhar Sukri, CNBC, 7 Mar. 2026
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Aside from a steady trickle of articles on local news sites, the media’s initial interest in the blockade had largely dried up.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trickle
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Verb
Rights to perform the show have now trickled down to community theaters.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Strait of Hormuz transit slows to trickle Traffic is nearly nonexistent in the Straight of Hormuz, meanwhile, as oil tankers remain fearful that their vessels will be caught in the war’s crossfire.
—Pia Singh,azhar Sukri, CNBC, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
Marine traffic through the strait has slowed to a trickle since the outbreak of hostilities last week, heightening concerns that the conflict could constrain oil supplies and sharply drive up energy costs, Wall Street analysts said on Monday.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Aside from a steady trickle of articles on local news sites, the media’s initial interest in the blockade had largely dried up.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trickle
Cite this Entry
“Trickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickle. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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