tinkered

Definition of tinkerednext
past tense of tinker
See the Dictionary Definition 

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkered
Verb
  • Last Tuesday, as the minute hand ticked toward the end of the initial cease-fire, Vance’s plane idled on the runway, ready to fly him to peace talks in Pakistan.
    Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Days passed and bombs kept falling, while oil tankers idled on either side of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had effectively closed in retaliation for the war launched by Israel and the United States.
    Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off.
    Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
  • Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.
    Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But most of the action was in the foot-deep children’s pool, where Petra joined babies and kids riding mini slides into the warm water, as parents lounged unselfconsciously.
    Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
  • As Polis prepared to sign the bill, five black-and-white, 13-week-old puppies — Benedict, Daphne, Violet, Eloise and Hyacinth — lounged, climbed over one another, leaned into a reporter’s mic and cuddled in a pair of pens on the Capitol foyer’s floor.
    Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Koch bobbed by again, this time with glasses and a Harry Potter lightning bolt doodled on her face.
    Michael Tedder, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Lauren Elliott, though, was a designer at Broderbund Games, working in a former liquor store beneath a sign that said DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY REDUCTION DEPARTMENT alongside an impish ex-Disney animator named Gene Portwood who often doodled Mickey Mouse in obscene poses.
    Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The full-backs, meanwhile, took their time from throw-ins, ensuring team-mates behind the ball were secure and Emiliano Martinez, who produced a second spellbinding save in as many visits to Nottingham, dallied from goal kicks.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Tinkered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkered. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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