tinker
(redirected from tinkered)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
tin·ker
(tĭng′kər)n.
1. A traveling mender of metal household utensils.
2. Chiefly British A member of any of various traditionally itinerant groups of people living especially in Scotland and Ireland; a traveler.
3. One who enjoys experimenting with and repairing machine parts.
4. A clumsy repairer or worker; a meddler.
v. tin·kered, tin·ker·ing, tin·kers
v.intr.
1. To work as a tinker.
2. To make unskilled or experimental efforts at repair; fiddle: tinkered with the engine, hoping to discover the trouble; tinkering with the economy by trying various fiscal policies.
v.tr.
1. To mend as a tinker.
2. To manipulate unskillfully or experimentally.
[Middle English tinkere.]
tin′ker·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tinker
(ˈtɪŋkə)n
1. (Crafts) (esp formerly) a travelling mender of pots and pans
2. a clumsy worker
3. the act of tinkering
4. (Peoples) Scot and Irish another name for Gypsy
5. informal Brit a mischievous child
6. (Animals) any of several small mackerels that occur off the North American coast of the Atlantic
vb
7. (foll by: with) to play, fiddle, or meddle (with machinery, etc), esp while undertaking repairs
8. (Crafts) to mend (pots and pans) as a tinker
[C13 tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin]
ˈtinkerer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tin•ker
(ˈtɪŋ kər)n.
1. a mender of pots and pans, usu. an itinerant.
2. an unskillful or clumsy worker; bungler.
3. a jack-of-all-trades.
4. an act or instance of tinkering.
6. a young mackerel.
v.i. 7. to busy oneself with a thing without useful results.
8. to work unskillfully or clumsily at anything.
9. to do the work of a tinker.
v.t. 10. to mend as a tinker.
11. to repair in a clumsy or makeshift way.
[1225–75; Middle English tinkere]
tin′ker•er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
tinker
Past participle: tinkered
Gerund: tinkering
| Imperative |
|---|
| tinker |
| tinker |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  tinker - a person who enjoys fixing and experimenting with machines and their partsexperimenter - a person who enjoys testing innovative ideas; "she was an experimenter in new forms of poetry" |
| 2. |  tinker - formerly a person (traditionally a Gypsy) who traveled from place to place mending pots and kettles and other metal utensils as a way to earn a living | |
| 3. |  tinker - small mackerel found nearly worldwidemackerel - any of various fishes of the family Scombridae genus Scomber, Scomber - type genus of the Scombridae | |
| Verb | 1. |  tinker - do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly; "The old lady is usually mucking about in her little house"puddle - mess around, as in a liquid or paste; "The children are having fun puddling in paint" work - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor" |
| 2. | tinker - work as a tinker or tinkerer | |
| 3. | tinker - try to fix or mend; "Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right"; "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
tinker
verb meddle, play, toy, monkey, potter, fiddle (informal), dabble, mess about, muck about (Brit. slang) Instead of admitting their error, they just tinkered with the problem.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
tinker
verb1. To handle something idly, ignorantly, or destructively:
Informal: monkey.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
صَفاح، سَمْكَرييُحاوِل تَصْليح الآلَه بدون خِبْرَه
dráteníkvrtat se
kedelflikker
barkácsolüstfoltozó
fúska, dytta aîkatlabætir
meistrautimeistrautojas
apkārtstaigājošs amatnieksmeistarotniekoties apskārdnieks
drotárvŕtať sa
mecka
kurcalamakoynamakseyyar tamirci
tinker
[ˈtɪŋkəʳ]A. N (esp Brit)
2. (Brit) (o.f.) (= child) → pícaro/a m/f, tunante/a m/f
you little tinker! → ¡tunante!
you little tinker! → ¡tunante!
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
tinker
[ˈtɪŋkər] n (= travelling repairman) → rétameur m ambulant (= gipsy) → romanichel(le) m/ftinker with
vi to tinker with sth (= fiddle around with) → bricoler qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
tinker
n (Brit pej) → Kesselflicker m; you little tinker! (inf) → du kleiner Stromer or Zigeuner! (neg!); not to give a tinker’s curse or cuss or damn about somebody/something (inf) → sich einen feuchten Kehricht um jdn/etw scheren (inf); not to be worth a tinker’s curse or cuss or damn (inf) → keinen Pfifferling wert sein (inf); (person) → keinen Schuss Pulver wert sein (inf)
vi
(also tinker about) → herumbasteln (→ with, on an +dat)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
tinker
[ˈtɪŋkəʳ] n → stagnino ambulantetinker with vi + prep
tinker about with vi + adv + prep (play) → trastullarsi con; (repair) → armeggiare intorno a, cercare di riparare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
tinker
(ˈtiŋkə) noun a person who travels around like a gypsy, mending kettles, pans etc.
verb (often with about or around) to fiddle, or work in an unskilled way, with machinery etc. He enjoys tinkering around (with car engines).
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.