tinker
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A mischievous person.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tingkerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɪŋkɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer.
usually with "little"
A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
informal
An act of repair or invention.
An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal.
Any of various fish: chub mackerel, silverside, skate, or young mackerel about two years old.
A northern English surname originating as an occupation for someone who mends pots and pans.
verb
ambitransitive
Try to fix or mend
“Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right.”
ambitransitive
To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.
Do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly
Work as a tinker or tinkerer
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer.
Used this way, tinker is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is an engineering use: it is a working term used for accuracy on the job.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Science
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Itinerant / formerly
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.