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
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 29 Nov. 2025
Midwest airport delays could trickle over to the east coast, as well.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
Ari Daniel, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
Will drops to his knees and wipes the trickle of blood coming from his nose.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trickle
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Verb
Fifty-two minutes were on the clock as more fans began trickling into Spectrum Center, arriving early enough to watch the warmups.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 29 Nov. 2025
Midwest airport delays could trickle over to the east coast, as well.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
Noun
From time to time, Pereira leans over to wipe a trickle of saliva off Tamara's chin.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
Will drops to his knees and wipes the trickle of blood coming from his nose.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trickle
Cite this Entry
“Trickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickle. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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