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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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:
Overall refugee admissions have slowed to a relative trickle.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Data centre opponents say the benefits of the vast warehouse-like sites rarely trickle down to local residents.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
Back in Pennan, a trickle of people trekked down the steep, winding path from the hilltop to see if the pay phone from “Local Hero” was still working and maybe make a call or two.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
And when interest rates are stable, banks “can use that as an advantage, as an opportunity to trickle savings rates lower,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
She let her breath trickle out of her and felt for the thump-thump-thump-thump of Alsvindr’s hooves on the ground.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
A tiny stream now trickles through the weeds on the lake bed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
“And that trickles down to these interview subjects seeing the increased quality and going, ‘I like the way these things look.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Now, the lack of rain is reducing some stretches of the Danube and Rhine to mere trickles, threatening industry that has long relied on the mighty waterways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
That has driven worries of rising inflation, as the cost of fuel trickles down to consumers through virtually every industry.
From MarketWatch ● May 17, 2026
A drop of blood trickles down my leg.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
APRs could keep climbing even after the September Fed hike has trickled into rates, Schulz said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
But few of the benefits of that wealth had trickled down to the people who produced it.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Updates about the search for survivors have trickled out slowly, while the death toll has remained unchanged since late Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Details about what’s in their new trade deal have trickled out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The other guests trickled away, until only Auntie Harrigan and Uncle Arthur were left.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
This is created by the water trickling through unusually thick bands of gypsum under the town, before resting in underground aquifers.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Auen and Walker delight in trickling real historical information — the result of painstaking research they both conducted studying the Chronovisor — through the film at a slow but steady, always compelling pace.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
Details are still trickling out, but here’s what we know.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
The money starts compounding immediately instead of trickling in over the five years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
As we get closer to seven o'clock, the day shift nurses will start trickling in, and there'll be more of a chance of us being spotted.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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