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
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
The printer works best with its own software and accessories, which could frustrate tinkerers who prefer open systems.
—PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
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
The printer works best with its own software and accessories, which could frustrate tinkerers who prefer open systems.
—PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkerer
Noun
-
Gonzalez was selected in the 10th round of the 1990 MLB amateur draft by the San Diego Padres and started the traversing of the minors in hopes of making it to the majors.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
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Determining the change in Didymos and Dimorphos' orbit around the sun was a labor of love, particularly for the 49 amateur astronomers who traveled to the ends of the Earth looking for stellar occultations.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Exposure to global audiences online has helped other analog hobbyists build and operate thriving businesses thanks to their social media popularity.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Many crafters and hobbyists also feel a strong sense of community among their peers.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
From my layman’s perspective, this seemed promising, plus the attorney seemed invested.—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 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
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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 19 Mar. 2026.
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