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
Vocabulary: A Rapper's Delight!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chuck Berry (1926-2017) Tribute List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lyrical Vocabulary, Volume II
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
As earnings reports from AI-adjacent companies continue to trickle in, the day’s most important financial news might come from a dull government bond auction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 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 benefits of AI have to trickle down to people," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
With a roar, the trickle of fleeing theatergoers suddenly became a stampede.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
I love this idea that we can bring people together and then it trickles out to other things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
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
Chesney said he plans to build on each practice, and his coaching staff will set a standard that trickles down to the players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
All this sincerity trickles down to the performances, too.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
Ranofer sat straight up, the goose flesh rising on his arms and little trickles running down his spine.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Details about what’s in their new trade deal have trickled out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The crowd, which leaned younger in part because the event allowed attendees 18 and older, trickled in around 7 p.m., and by 9 p.m., the party was in full swing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 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 trickled down his nose and around his mouth.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
“Some of the funds that the Kim regime made through selling weapons and hacking are trickling down to the residents,” said Lee, who heads a data-research center owned by DailyNK, an online publication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Additional conditions allow for shares to keep trickling out into the market ahead of the six-month expiration date.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
The money trickling down the Slam draws has increased significantly in recent years.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Audiences trickling back into theaters deserve to see something fantastic.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
“It’s the jumbo, three-hour size,” he said as the sand started trickling down.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
