tinkle 1 of 2

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

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
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 Now, new research suggests urination may function in a similar way: Captive chimpanzees that saw their peers peeing were more likely to take a tinkle themselves. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
Transform a handful of old keys into a charming wind chime that adds a gentle, tinkling sound to your outdoor space. Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 17 Jan. 2026 Think: classical pieces, film scores, soft tinkling piano music or quiet Celtic flutes. Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tinkle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkle
Noun
  • This isn’t alt-country so much as death-rattle country, as though Grigoroff and Adducci took Hank Williams’ most wincingly lonesome numbers as a starting point but figured the tempos were a little too fast.
    Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But stopping the clap of Thunder and rattle of Spurs calls for something special.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As the bullet weight clinks and clacks along the bottom, bass will key in on your rig and follow it.
    Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Paveletzke drove straight down the middle of the court for a would-be game-winner … but Suder, who struggled offensively most of the night, met him at the rim and went straight up defensively, forcing Paveletzke’s running layup to clink off the front rim.
    Brendan Marks, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Experts refer that moment to conveying a picture, a moment often accentuated by the rhythmical clatter of two pieces of wood, which are like claves.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Just the check, the soft clatter of plates and that lingering smell of basil and coconut that follows you out the door.
    Timothy DePeugh, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The bells that dangled off her red tunic jingled.
    Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Unpredictable and complex, this film has quite a few tricks stuffed in its stockings that will leave you shocked and your bells fully jingled.
    James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
  • Yet all such arguments ring hollow today.
    Sheldon H. Jacobson, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Barely wide enough to handle a summer crowd of single-lane traffic, pedestrians, and bell-ringing cyclists (not to mention the percussion of Away and Rimowa wheels on the pavement), Commercial Street runs nearly three miles along Provincetown Harbor.
    Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkle. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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