tinkering

verb

present participle of tinker
as in diddling (with)

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkering
  1. idling
  2. loafing
  3. dawdling
  4. horsing around
  5. lounging
  6. doodling
Verb
  • A couple blocks away there are at least nine police cars, parked, idling.
    — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Effects of laws against idling In short, anti-idling laws target potentially severe pollution health risks from what is generally a wasteful practice of convenience.
    — Richard Marcantonio, The Conversation, 31 July 2026
Definition of idling
Verb
  • Kids who used to run to the field excited to play, suddenly started loafing to the field wearing their crocs with their heads buried in their phones.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
  • The pair had been loafing for some time among a grove of apple trees on a private residence in Payson.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of loafing
Verb
  • Indeed, Ederson has moments where he can be caught dawdling with the ball, hoping for an opening that doesn’t always arrive.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Definition of dawdling
Verb
  • Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.
    — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
  • In April 2020, Iglesias shared a video of him horsing around with Lucy and Nicholas as the pair attempted to climb on his back for a ride.
    — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Definition of horsing around
Verb
  • The beach was packed, many vacationers lounging near the turquoise waters when the drone slammed into the white sand and burst into a fireball.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The 59-year-old actress posed topless while lounging by the pool during her Fiji Islands getaway with Van Hunt.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of lounging
Verb
  • While some might show their boredom by doodling on paper or playing on their phone, this pilot took his message to new heights – roughly 1,100 feet (335 meters).
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Art therapy isn’t just finger painting and doodling.
    — Hannah Silverman, Parents, 17 June 2026
Definition of doodling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tinkerers
tinkering
tinkering (with)
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Cite this Entry

“Tinkering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkering. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tinkering

Nglish: Translation of tinkering for Spanish Speakers

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