as in amateur
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
he's been tinkering with cars since he was a kid, and now he's a tinkerer who knows nearly as much as a mechanic
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Recent Examples of tinkerer
The Mac mini has become a status symbol among AI tinkerers, and some analysts say the device’s growing popularity may preface a broader shift in how people use computers.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
Cronenworth has always been quite the worker and quite the tinkerer in the cage.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Rather than targeting end users, the company aims to empower developers, researchers, and tinkerers to create breakthrough humanoid applications without building full robots from scratch.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Dedicated sports engineers and tinkerers alike continue to fine tune specialized skate designs.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
Blanc, who lived in Des Moines, Iowa, wasn’t the first tinkerer to try unclogging drains by running a cable through pipes.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Micron’s Crucial brand sold memory on sticks that tinkerers could use to build their own PCs or upgrade their laptops.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
The Ringbrothers Kingpin was unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show (SEMA) in Las Vegas, which is a haven for aftermarket wizards, tuners, and auto tinkerers of all stripes.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
How would the tinkerer-in-chief Guardiola galaxy-brain his way around this clash of styles?
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
Cronenworth has always been quite the worker and quite the tinkerer in the cage.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Rather than targeting end users, the company aims to empower developers, researchers, and tinkerers to create breakthrough humanoid applications without building full robots from scratch.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Dedicated sports engineers and tinkerers alike continue to fine tune specialized skate designs.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
Blanc, who lived in Des Moines, Iowa, wasn’t the first tinkerer to try unclogging drains by running a cable through pipes.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Micron’s Crucial brand sold memory on sticks that tinkerers could use to build their own PCs or upgrade their laptops.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
The Ringbrothers Kingpin was unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show (SEMA) in Las Vegas, which is a haven for aftermarket wizards, tuners, and auto tinkerers of all stripes.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
How would the tinkerer-in-chief Guardiola galaxy-brain his way around this clash of styles?
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkerer
Noun
-
The cast and crew comprise both amateurs and professionals.—
Pamela Brown,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
YouTube provided the same possibilities for video sharing, creating a giant library of video content from amateurs, ranging from highly produced and edited amateur movies to recordings of users simply talking into the camera.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For hobbyists who love filling every inch of a bed, thinning seedlings can feel ruthless.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Saluti’s hedge-funder husband Joe was a passionate hobbyist woodworker and turned that sketch into a birthday present, a custom piece made from carved walnut.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some prominent conservative Catholic laymen, like Fox News host Sean Hannity, have risen to Trump’s defense.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The pipeline will provide up to 185,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas, an industry term that Fore admitted was difficult to explain for laymen.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The first are the dabblers: latecomers finally spending some quality time with their chief technology officers.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Splurges: There are whiskey dabblers, and then there are serious Irish whiskey aficionados.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinkerer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkerer. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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