tinkle

American  

[ting-kuhl] / ˈtɪŋ kəl /

verb (used without object)

tinkled, tinkling

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

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

3. Baby Talk. to urinate.

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verb (used with object)

tinkled, tinkling

1. to cause to tinkle or jingle.

   The goat tinkled its bell every time it raised its head. Who's tinkling the piano?

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

noun

1. a tinkling sound or tune.

2. an act or instance of tinkling.

3. Informal. a telephone call.

   Give me a tinkle before you leave for Europe.

tinkle British  

/ ˈtɪŋkəl /

verb

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

2. (tr) to announce or summon by such a ringing

3. informal (intr) to urinate

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noun

1. a high clear ringing sound

2. the act of tinkling

3. informal a telephone call

Other Word Forms

• outtinkle verb (used with object)
• tinkling adjective
• tinkly adjective

Etymology

Origin of tinkle

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

Example Sentences

Step closer and you hear the contraption appearing to breathe, a tinkling sound like wind chimes emanating from the cooling mechanism that keeps its innards colder than outer space.

From Barron's

Shards of glass tinkle to the ground, and a flood of moonlight washes through the basement.

From Literature

He also wrote a poem about bells, bells, and more bells, ringing and clanging and jangling away, from tinkling sleigh bells like those of a troika, to the deep, basso tolling of funeral bells.

From Literature

The tinkling of piano keys can be heard from a single-storey workshop.

From BBC

This is not a concert in which the lead singer will occasionally tinkle the ivories for effect.

From Salon