Tinker Meaning
/ˈtɪŋkəː/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal.
nounA member of the Irish Traveller community or of other itinerant groups; a gypsy.
Sentence Examples
I've always found Tinker Bell very sexy.
Tom likes to tinker with things because he believes there's always a better way.
CEFR Practice Quiz
My grandfather loves to ____ with old clocks and watches in his free time.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He likes to ____ with old clocks in his workshop and try to make them work perfectly once again today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English tynkere, perhaps from Old English *tincere, from tin (“tin”) + *cere, as in bēocere (“beekeeper”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The blacksmith chased us all to ground
They searched all night we were never found
The tinker boys and the sheriff's men
Shaking the tallest tree."
— 1988, “Mayhem Maybe”, in Ian Anderson (music), 20 Years of Jethro Tull, performed by Jethro Tull:
"the broken bureau-lock and tinkered window-pane"
— 1894, Thomas Hardy, A Few Crusted Characters:
"As in much of biology, the most satisfying truths in ecology derive from manipulative experimentation. Tinker with nature and quantify how it responds."
— 2012 January 26, Robert M. Pringle, “How to Be Manipulative”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 03 Oct 2013, page 31:
"And because he wants to show that he is a dominant male, he tinkered the engine of his motorbike to make it even noisier."
— 2013, Eric Goulard, Body Language Secrets Revealed:
"We're not just talking about changes that tinker around the edges - we're looking to take advantage of some of the world's latest digital and tech developments to improve our service."
— 2020 May 20, “Network News: LNER seeks innovation through FutureLabs project”, in Rail, page 14:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
My grandfather loves to ____ with old clocks and watches in his free time.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He likes to ____ with old clocks in his workshop and try to make them work perfectly once again today.