trickle
Americanverb (used without object)
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to flow or fall by drops, or in a small, gentle stream.
Tears trickled down her cheeks.
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to come, go, or pass bit by bit, slowly, or irregularly.
The guests trickled out of the room.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to run or cause to run in thin or slow streams
she trickled the sand through her fingers
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(intr) to move, go, or pass gradually
the crowd trickled away
noun
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a thin, irregular, or slow flow of something
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the act of trickling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has trickledperfect 3rd person singular
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have trickledperfect
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is tricklingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am tricklingprogressive 1st person singular
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are tricklingprogressive
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has been tricklingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been tricklingperfect progressive
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tricklingparticiple
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tricklessingular 3rd person
Past
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had trickledperfect
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had been tricklingperfect progressive
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were tricklingprogressive plural
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was tricklingprogressive singular
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trickledparticiple
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trickledsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of trickle
1325–75; Middle English triklen, trekelen (v.), apparently sandhi variant of strikle, perhaps equivalent to strike (in obsolete sense “flow”) + -le
Explanation
To trickle is to weakly flow out of something, like a faucet. A trickle is like a drip. There are a lot of ways water can flow, but one type of slow dripping is called trickling. If your shower is only releasing a trickle of water, you're not going to get much of a shower. If it's raining — but only a trickle — you might not need an umbrella. A slightly leaky roof is trickling. A trickle is the opposite of a downpour or flood. Trickling can also be called dribbling.
Vocabulary lists containing trickle
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Chuck Berry (1926-2017) Tribute List
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Lyrical Vocabulary, Volume II
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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.
ATM offerings allow companies to slowly trickle new shares into the market rather than sell them in a big block.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Investors are wondering if Super Micro’s orders can trickle down into earnings growth.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
The great wealth transfer might be on hold, but the great wealth trickle is well under way.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Most of the eating establishments that line this stretch of road are hidden behind metal shutters, and a trickle of people and cars pass through.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
To their horror, the creek dwindled to a trickle, then dried up altogether.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
