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

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

While Tommy Edman would likely handle shortstop in the event Rojas isn’t ready, the Dodgers could tinker a little more at first.

From Los Angeles Times

That means Guardiola is likely to tinker with his formation and play with two holding midfielders.

From BBC

That means Guardiola is likely to tinker with his formation and play with two holding midfielders.

From BBC

But he added an option for Labour would be "to tinker with the fiscal rules" to take some pressure off, such as changing the number of years debt as a share of the economy should be falling by.

From BBC

Related Words

• dabble
• mess