Synonyms of tinker

tinker

verb

as in to horse around

Related Words

• horse around
• diddle (with)
• clown (around)
• idle
• dawdle
• lounge
• doodle
• loaf
• hang (around or out)
• loll
• trifle
• goof (around)
• fool around
• play
• fiddle (around)
• monkey (around)
• dillydally
• dally
• hang about
• potter (around)
• fribble
• mess around
• putter (around)
• kick around

Dissimilar Words

• set (to)
• settle (down)
• buckle (down)
• knuckle down

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tinker

Titles and responsibilities aside, the Khoslas don’t intend to tinker with much. — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Almost as soon as the goatsbeard acquired the extra DNA, the plants started to tinker with their surplus of genes — changing some genes, getting rid of others, keeping a few, Douglas Soltis said. — Carrie Arnold contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026

In the past, Newsom has been reluctant to greenlight laws that tinker with the state budget after those fiscal discussions conclude in the first half of the calendar year. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Unterman gifted Techamuanvivit the recipe, and the Thai chef proceeded to tinker with it. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Associate Editor Serenity Carr looks at onomatopoeic words you might not expect, such as bounce and tinker.

Transcript:

When you think of the origins of a word, you think of Old English, or Old French, or Latin, or Sanskrit. But not all words come from a similar word in an older language. Some words come from imitations of the sounds associated with the thing they name. Some are obvious, like fizz, jingle, toot, and pop. Others are less obvious, like slap, bounce, tinker, and cough. So listen carefully to every grunt and murmur, to the prattle and babbling around you. You may be hearing more than just chit-chat.