tinker

[ ting-ker ]

noun

1. a mender of pots, kettles, pans, etc., usually an itinerant.
2. an unskillful or clumsy worker; bungler.
3. a person skilled in various minor kinds of mechanical work; jack-of-all-trades.
4. an act or instance of tinkering:

   Let me have a tinker at that motor.

5. Scot., Irish English.
   1. a Romani living in the British Isles; a Traveler.
   2. any itinerant worker.
   3. a wanderer ( def ).
   4. a beggar ( def ).
6. chub mackerel.

verb (used without object)

1. to busy oneself with a thing without useful results:

   Stop tinkering with that clock and take it to the repair shop.

2. to work unskillfully or clumsily at anything.
3. to do the work of a tinker.

verb (used with object)

1. to mend as a tinker.
2. to repair in an unskillful, clumsy, or makeshift way.

tinker

/ ˈtɪŋkə /

noun

1. (esp formerly) a travelling mender of pots and pans
2. a clumsy worker
3. the act of tinkering
4. another name for Gypsy
5. informal.
   a mischievous child
6. any of several small mackerels that occur off the North American coast of the Atlantic

verb

1. intrfoll bywith to play, fiddle, or meddle (with machinery, etc), esp while undertaking repairs
2. to mend (pots and pans) as a tinker

Derived Forms

• ˈtinkerer, noun

Other Words From

• tin·ker·er noun
• un·tin·kered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tinker¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English tinkere (noun), syncopated variant of tinekere “worker in tin”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tinker¹

C13 tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with tinker , also see not worth a damn (tinker's damn) .

Example Sentences

Major League Soccer has frequently tinkered with its playoff format.

From Los Angeles Times

Cronin tinkered with his lineups, using eight different groups of five players, the mass substitutions resembling hockey shifts.

From Los Angeles Times

I think our haircut is our crown, so deciding to tinker with my crown at my own leisure, it’s liberating.

From Los Angeles Times

Stokes tinkered with the field, to no avail.

From BBC

It’s become one of the biggest factors in this series, as the Padres seemingly have tinkered with their game plan for the soon-to-be three-time most valuable player.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dabble
• mess