tinkle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of tinklenext
as in rattle
a series of short high ringing sounds the soothing tinkle of the wind chime on the back porch

Synonyms & Similar Words

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tinkle

2 of 2

verb

ˈtiŋ-kəl How to pronounce tinkle (audio)
as in to clink
to make a repeated sharp light ringing sound the bell around the cat's neck tinkled as he ran across the yard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tinkle
Noun
From the moment that Jerry Goldsmith’s piano tinkles caress the opening bars of his score while stars float past the frame, anyone with a soul knows that this is not your average IP cash-in. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025 The water fountains are trickling; wind chimes tinkle and shimmer in the breeze, and the store’s seemingly endless lines of indoor and outdoor décor are available to celebrate each season and occasion. — Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
Verb
As a teen-ager listening to folk music in London pubs, I’d been attracted to the instrument’s nimble, tinkling cheerfulness, its being on the margins, not too demanding, perhaps. — Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026 Accordingly, recognisable Western archetypes abound, from the saloon bar serving pungent shots of whiskey to the tinkling accompaniment of Scott Joplin, to the majority of the characters themselves. — Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tinkle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkle
  1. rattle
  2. clink
  3. clatter
  4. jingle
  5. tintinnabulation
  6. ring
Noun
  • Leadership disruptions can distract management, rattle employees, concern investors, and create reputational challenges for organizations.
    — Edward Segal, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • The slightest details, or the smallest bits of structure, are what stick out—what can feel like an amorphous ooze of nothingness suddenly snaps into place thanks to a rhythmic rattle or jagged vocal sample.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026
Definition of rattle
Verb
  • The smell of sterile floors, gowns, instruments on clinking metal trays.
    — Rebekah Taussig, Time, 7 July 2026
  • The central lobby space is a social scene abuzz with people enjoying formal afternoon tea, clinking glasses at the Champagne bar (rotating themes and partnerships add variety for locals) or tucking into meals at the dining room.
    — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of clink
Noun
  • All night long there was the ringing clatter of picks and shovels; the Germans were digging trenches in the frozen ground.
    — Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • No clatter of boots and ankles.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of clatter
Verb
  • On the walls, a few pots hang from a copper rod, a dinner bell waits to be jingled, and an ancient clock keeps time.
    — Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 2 July 2026
  • The Household Cavalry, on dark horses and with brightly shining breastplates, trotted past, jingling like a cutlery drawer.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
Definition of jingle
Noun
  • Cloudy chords, meditative tintinnabulation, the whoosh of wind and rain, blocks of iridescent brass — all these discrete sonorities trundled by, like a train of boxcars with panoramas painted on their sides.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021
Definition of tintinnabulation
Verb
  • With boos and jeers ringing around Expo Idaho at the referees, AC Boise continued to pepper the Portland box with dangerous crosses and shots.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 July 2026
  • Seales recalled seeing the victim’s cell phone ringing on the ground as her family tried to contact her.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Definition of ring

Browse Nearby Words

tinker (with)
tinkle
tinkled
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Cite this Entry

“Tinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkle. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of tinkle for Spanish Speakers

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