tinker
[ ting-ker ]
/ ˈtɪŋ kər /
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noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
to mend as a tinker.
to repair in an unskillful, clumsy, or makeshift way.
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Origin of tinker
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English tinkere (noun), syncopated variant of tinekere “worker in tin”
OTHER WORDS FROM tinker
tin·ker·er, nounun·tin·kered, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tinker in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for tinker
tinker
/ (ˈtɪŋkə) /
noun
verb
(intr foll by with) to play, fiddle, or meddle (with machinery, etc), esp while undertaking repairs
to mend (pots and pans) as a tinker
Derived forms of tinker
tinkerer, nounWord Origin for tinker
C13 tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with tinker
tinker
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.