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tinker with

Idioms

Try to repair, work aimlessly or unskillfully with, as in He tinkered with the engine all day but it still wouldn't start. This idiom, first recorded in 1658, alludes to working as a tinker, that is, mending metal utensils.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As the original firebrands age, a new generation looks to tinker with the system, loosen its ideological strictures, and even reanimate a national compact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 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

These provisions don’t just tinker with tax law.

From Slate • May 22, 2025

Whether Mitchell continues to tinker with his side is less predictable, as he continues to develop his winning-machine in the year that will define his side's success.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2025

“But I know nothing of healing, my Lord. I only tinker with machines.”

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023