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)

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 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

• tinkerer
  noun
• untinkered
  adjective

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

It released its first product, Tinker, a tool to help researchers train AI models, last year, and has said it aims to make AI systems that work with humans rather than operating autonomously.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

“In 2016, he began with the wall, … the Salvadorans, and then Mara Salvatrucha,” Tinker Salas said.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

Guinness famously played Smiley in BBC TV adaptations of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in 1979 and Smiley's People in 1982.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025

In the 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker vs.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2024

The artist had produced a good likeness of Tinker Bell.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• dabble
• mess