tingle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
tingles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tingled,
past participle, past
-
tingling
present participle
-
to have a sensation of slight prickles, stings, or tremors, as from cold, a sharp blow, excitement, etc..
I tingle all over.
-
to cause such a sensation.
The scratch tingles.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tinglesimple
-
tinglessimple
-
have tingledperfect
-
has tingledperfect
-
am tinglingprogressive
-
are tinglingprogressive
-
is tinglingprogressive
-
have been tinglingperfect progressive
-
has been tinglingperfect progressive
Past
-
tingledsimple
-
had tingledperfect
-
was tinglingprogressive
-
were tinglingprogressive
-
had been tinglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tingle
1350–1400; Middle English tinglen (v.), variant of tinkle
Explanation
When something tingles, it prickles or stings a tiny bit. Walking through a haunted house might make your skin tingle with fear. A cool breeze makes your skin tingle, and a pep rally might leave you tingling with excitement. Tingle can also call be used as a noun: a tingle is similar to a shiver or a shudder, a light sensation that may have an emotional or physical cause. An earlier meaning of tingle was "a ringing sensation or sound."
Vocabulary lists containing tingle
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.
See Examples For:
Similarly, his cultural allusions no longer provoke even a tingle, let alone a shock of recognition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
How her skin would tingle with the first signs of irritation after just a few hours outside.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Scott Speedman is in it for the tingle.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2024
"In addition to bitter taste, it also affects savory, salt, sweet, and sour tastes. However, AF-353 only blocks taste. Other oral sensations like the tingle from carbonation were not affected."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024
As my fingertips hit the stasis gel, they tingle and burn before going numb.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Watching him gradually turn tender sends tingles through your heartstrings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
If your skin tingles and hair stands on end, it means lightning is about to strike.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2024
Q: My right foot burns and tingles so badly that it’s hard to sleep.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
Kobie Boykins, a mechanical engineer who was instrumental in building the rovers, recalls getting tingles at Opportunity’s first steps.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
I don’t know what to say to that, even as my whole body tingles with tiny granules of sugar, as Madrina says.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
But no matter how much water or electrolyte solution she drank, her legs tingled and her head spun.
From New York Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
“As kids we used to hold these 9-volt batteries to our tongues and it tingled, that’s roughly how you have to imagine this,” Lierz says.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 8, 2022
"At that point, the ‘spidey senses’ tingled a little bit."
From Fox News ● Oct. 22, 2021
After the workout, Curtis said, his whole body tingled with soreness, and he was convinced.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2020
Mario wanted to own the cage so much that he tingled all over.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
Unlike many other breast cancers, she said symptoms could include itching, tingling, pulling sensations, dimpling or changes to the skin rather than a distinct lump.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
That damage can trigger symptoms such as pain, tingling, and numbness, especially in the hands and feet where nerve fibers extend the farthest.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
These videos became an online phenomenon more than a decade ago - which some people claim causes them to feel a tingling sensation.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
Despite the name, these aren’t peppers at all but members of the citrus family that trigger a numbing, tingling sensation on the tongue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
When I passed through the divider, I felt a tingling sensation from head to toe, and the scents of lemon, ginger, and fresh air washed over me.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
