tinkle

[ ting-kuhl ]

/ ˈtɪŋ kəl /

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See synonyms for: tinkle / tinkling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), tin·kled, tin·kling.

to give forth or make a succession of short, light, ringing sounds, as a small bell.

to run one's fingers lightly over a keyboard instrument or to play such an instrument simply or badly.

Baby Talk. to urinate.

verb (used with object), tin·kled, tin·kling.

to cause to tinkle or jingle: The goat tinkled its bell every time it raised its head. Who's tinkling the piano?

to make known, call attention to, attract, or summon by tinkling.

noun

a tinkling sound or tune.

an act or instance of tinkling.

Informal. a telephone call: Give me a tinkle before you leave for Europe.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

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Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of tinkle

1350–1400; Middle English tynclen, frequentative of tinken to clink; imitative

OTHER WORDS FROM tinkle

outtinkle, verb (used with object), out·tin·kled, out·tin·kling.

Words nearby tinkle

tinker's cuss, tinker's dam, tinker's damn, Tinkertoy, tinker with, tinkle, tinkly, Tinley Park, tin lizzie, tinman, tinned

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tinkle in a sentence

When the news came out that Jackie director Pablo Larraín had cast her as Princess Diana, it sounded as if genius had struck with the perfectly tuned tinkle of a sterling dinner bell.
Kristen Stewart and Pablo Larraín Do Princess Diana Wrong in Spencer|Stephanie Zacharek|September 3, 2021|Time
The third line runs thus: “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle in the icy air of night.”
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
We observe that as “time” is here repeated three times, so “tinkle” was repeated three times in the third line.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The blind came down with a rush, there was a little tinkle of glass, and the general staggered back with his hand to his shoulder.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White

Tinkle, tinkle went the bells The reindeer lifted their hoofs higher and pawed at the comforter.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
The brook was whispering secret things, and the drip from the trees made a soft tinkle, just detectable, on its pools.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for tinkle

tinkle

/ (ˈtɪŋkəl) /

verb

to ring or cause to ring with a series of high tinny sounds, like a small bell

(tr) to announce or summon by such a ringing

(intr) British informal to urinate

noun

a high clear ringing sound

the act of tinkling

British informal a telephone call

Derived forms of tinkle

tinkling, adjective, nountinkly, adjective

Word Origin for tinkle

C14: of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tinkle

Origin of tinkle

OTHER WORDS FROM tinkle

Words nearby tinkle

Words related to tinkle

How to use tinkle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tinkle

Derived forms of tinkle

Word Origin for tinkle