to tinker
47
4.5
- verb
- /ˈtɪŋkər/
:
trastear (con)
- Whatever the kids are thinking and tinkering with, the I-Lab is where they prototype their ideas.
- tinker with machinery
- start to tinker
- begin to tinker
And that comes with practice, with tinkering, what have you.
- And that comes with practice, with tinkering, what have you.
- And our question is whether citric acid is tinkering with that mechanism.
- OK, at some point I need to quit tinkering and leave this thing alone.
- Experimenting, tweaking things, you know, tinkering with it, adapting it.
- So today, because we are constantly tinkering with things, it's like a compulsion.
- I'm a worker and I like it, you know, I love tinkering with the ACT.
- Imagine what would happen if Steve didn't have the time to explore and tinker in his garage.
- What they are saying is that we, we are able to tinker around with the mechanics of it, right.
- And so anyway, now I have time to tinker.
- And I love that part of the sport, just the rearranging of things and adjusting and tinkering.
- But like if you're just wondering why you're sitting around tinkering on a screenplay, I'm like, because there's no risk.
- It's about just tinkering and having fun building cool stuff like the big ambitious projects.
- Oh yes, tinker with the Federal Reserve or here, but don't change the fundamentals.
Examples
-
So one thing to do is just tinker with a measure.
-
Imagine what would happen if Steve didn't have the time to explore and tinker in his garage.
-
If we are going to tinker, we should tinker with that, I think.
Academic text (2000) -
Whenever anything was broken, he would just... open it up, tinker with it a little bit... and fix it.
-
But I still like to tinker and make repairs.
-
I thought I could bounce some ideas off you, you could tinker with some stuff.
-
Enos would rather fix things and tinker around than play games like that.
Fiction book (1998) -
I'm a worker and I like it, you know, I love tinkering with the ACT.
-
Universities often try to remedy this situation by tinkering with recruitment strategies.
Academic text (2007) -
Whenever something breaks, I like to tinker with it until I can fix it.
Synonyms
111
4.1
To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities
41
4.7
To touch or move something without a clear purpose
11
8.2
To touch or change something in a secret, careless way
11
7.0
To spend time doing small, not important jobs in a relaxed way
4
7.3
Waste time by acting silly instead of working
3
8.4
To spend time doing not important things in a relaxed way
1
9.3
To touch or change something in a careless and unnecessary way
1
8.7
To spend time doing things that are not important
1
6.5
To spend time slowly doing small simple jobs without hurry
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
A famous baseball double play that stands for perfect teamwork
How Thoroughly
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tinker as a verb comes from the noun for a repairer and from tink, the small sound of metal being hit, giving the idea of small, casual work. So to tinker is to try to fix or change something in a simple, not expert, way.