trickle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
trickles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trickled,
past participle, past
-
trickling
present participle
-
to flow or fall by drops, or in a small, gentle stream.
Tears trickled down her cheeks.
-
to come, go, or pass bit by bit, slowly, or irregularly.
The guests trickled out of the room.
verb (used with object)
-
trickles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trickled,
past participle, past
-
trickling
present participle
verb
-
to run or cause to run in thin or slow streams
she trickled the sand through her fingers
-
(intr) to move, go, or pass gradually
the crowd trickled away
noun
-
a thin, irregular, or slow flow of something
-
the act of trickling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tricklesimple
-
tricklessimple
-
have trickledperfect
-
has trickledperfect
-
am tricklingprogressive
-
are tricklingprogressive
-
is tricklingprogressive
-
have been tricklingperfect progressive
-
has been tricklingperfect progressive
Past
-
trickledsimple
-
had trickledperfect
-
was tricklingprogressive
-
were tricklingprogressive
-
had been tricklingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
"It started as a small trickle and over the weeks it has got bigger - they need to get their act together."
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“This is a way to invest very little money in a lot of different productions and hope for some big wins from those productions that can trickle up.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The power cuts have made normal life almost impossible, with each outage also meaning that water supplies trickle away and ceiling fans slow to a halt.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
What began as a trickle of oil in April expanded into a slick operation freeing massive amounts of oil and alleviating one of the worst shocks to energy markets in decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The flood of inquiries would slow to a trickle.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Oil prices would likely need to remain lower for a longer stretch of time before it trickles down to retail prices, which tend to fall much more slowly than they rise.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
All this sincerity trickles down to the performances, too.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
As this money trickles through the economy, it stands to transform the fate of businesses tied to everything from artificial intelligence and data centers to dental offices and medical spas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
This trickles down to companies that become reluctant to borrow, spend or hire.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025
Her voice trickles to a whisper so that I have to lean forward to hear her.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
Press access and related battles have trickled down to the local level, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Let’s stop all the discrimination against street vendors... Enough!” she said in Spanish while tears trickled down her face outside City Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Volunteers served warm meals and donations from local residents trickled in.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
The rising costs of energy have trickled down to nearly every part of the economy, from gas prices to shipping costs, and rising inflation fears have pushed long-term U.S. bonds yields to multi-decade highs.
From MarketWatch ● May 24, 2026
Water dripped from the leaves onto my face and trickled off my skin.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Yet it’s hard to see the spoils of an AI-driven economy trickling down to everyone.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
HIV program funds are trickling back into L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Election results are still trickling in for primary races across California, including in Los Angeles, where incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is up against reality-star-turned challenger Spencer Pratt to lead the city.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Along the way, the filing said, Allen recorded his appreciation for the changing landscapes, for example writing on his phone that Pennsylvania's woods resembled "vast fairy lands filled with tiny trickling creeks."
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
I ducked in and leaned my back against the chalkboard with my heart pounding and sweat trickling down my neck.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
