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View synonyms for

tinker

[ting-ker]

noun

  1. a mender of pots, kettles, pans, etc., usually an itinerant.

  2. an unskillful or clumsy worker; bungler.

  3. a person skilled in various minor kinds of mechanical work; jack-of-all-trades.

  4. an act or instance of tinkering.

    Let me have a tinker at that motor.

  5. Scot., Irish English.

    1. a Romani living in the British Isles; a Traveler.

    2. any itinerant worker.

    3. a wanderer.

    4. a beggar.

  6. chub mackerel.



verb (used without object)

  1. to busy oneself with a thing without useful results.

    Stop tinkering with that clock and take it to the repair shop.

  2. to work unskillfully or clumsily at anything.

  3. to do the work of a tinker.

verb (used with object)

  1. to mend as a tinker.

  2. to repair in an unskillful, clumsy, or makeshift way.

tinker

/ ˈɪŋə /

noun

  1. (esp formerly) a travelling mender of pots and pans

  2. a clumsy worker

  3. the act of tinkering

  4. another name for Gypsy

  5. informala mischievous child

  6. any of several small mackerels that occur off the North American coast of the Atlantic

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to play, fiddle, or meddle (with machinery, etc), esp while undertaking repairs

  2. to mend (pots and pans) as a tinker

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • tinkerer noun
  • untinkered adjective
  • ˈپ԰ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tinker1

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English tinkere (noun), syncopated variant of tinekere “worker in tin”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tinker1

C13 tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with tinker, also see not worth a damn (tinker's damn).
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Reeves has tinkered with the way that debt is measured to free up more than £100bn to fund building, research and development as well as other major projects.

From

It took four years of tinkering to come up with a design that worked - a small clay cabinet with a water talk on the top and storage shelves below.

From

She began tinkering with the idea of opening a teahouse in May 2022.

From

The White Paper was "tinkering around the edges," he argued and "even if the numbers do reduce, they'll still be at massive historic highs".

From

Coaches are clearly tinkering with lineups and positions before having their full complement of players.

From

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