tinker

American  

[ting-ker] / ˈtɪŋ kər /

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.

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verb (used without object)

tinkers, present (3rd person singular) tinkered, past participle, past tinkering present participle

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)

tinkers, present (3rd person singular) tinkered, past participle, past tinkering present participle

1. to mend as a tinker.

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

tinker British  

/ ˈtɪŋkə /

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. informal a mischievous child

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

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verb

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

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

tinker Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tinker

• not worth a damn (tinker's damn)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• untinkered
  adjective
• tinkerer
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has tinkered
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have tinkered
  perfect
• is tinkering
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been tinkering
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are tinkering
  progressive
• am tinkering
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been tinkering
  perfect progressive
• tinkers
  singular 3rd person
• tinkering
  participle

Past

• had tinkered
  perfect
• had been tinkering
  perfect progressive
• was tinkering
  progressive singular
• were tinkering
  progressive plural
• tinkered
  simple
• tinkered
  participle

Future

• will tinker
  simple
• will have tinkered
  perfect
• will have been tinkering
  perfect progressive
• will be tinkering
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of tinker

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

Explanation

When you tinker, you work casually or attempt to fix something, the way you might tinker with your brother's old bike or tinker with the website you're building for fun. As a verb, tinker means to fix (or mess around with) just about anything. For example, your creative writing teacher might ask you to tinker with your most recent short story and add more specific, vivid details. As a noun, tinker refers to a person whose job involves traveling around and fixing things. It's an old-fashioned word, dating from the 13th century, when traveling tinsmith wasn't an uncommon occupation.

Example Sentences

“I’m able to just go out and play baseball as opposed to trying to tinker and fix certain stuff.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

While her kids watch TV, Acheson likes to tinker with Claude.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Waiting could pay off for people who want more in their paychecks instead of big refunds — but who don’t want to tinker with their withholdings.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 19, 2025

Policymakers are more likely to tinker around the edges until things get far uglier.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

“I’m wanting a lot of things, tinker, but I don’t think you’ve got any of them in your packs.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• dabble
• mess