Definition of "tinker"

tinker

/ˈtɪŋkə(ɹ)/

noun
plural tinkers
1. An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal.
2. (dated, chiefly Britain and Ireland, offensive) A member of the Irish Traveller community or of other itinerant groups. A gypsy.
3. (usually with "little") A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
4. Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer.
5. The act of repair or invention.
6. (military, obsolete) A hand mortar.
7. Any of various fish: chub mackerel, silverside, skate, or young mackerel about two years old.
8. A bird, the razor-billed auk.
verb
third-person singular simple present tinkers, present participle tinkering, simple past and past participle tinkered
1. (intransitive) To work as a tinker.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.
  Quotations
  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, Robert M. Pringle, “How to Be Manipulative”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 3 October 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

Definition of "tinker"

tinker

noun

verb

Quotations