Meaning of "tinker" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD TINKER

Tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF TINKER

tinker  [ˈtɪŋkə]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TINKER

Tinker is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb tinker in English.

WHAT DOES TINKER MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Tinker

A tinker was originally an itinerant tinsmith, who mended household utensils. The word is attested from the 13th century as 'tyckner' or 'tinkler' a term used in medieval Scotland and England for a metal worker. Some travelling groups and Gypsies adopted this lifestyle and the name was particularly associated with indigenous Irish and Scottish Highland Travellers. However, this usage is disputed and considered offensive by some. Tinkering is therefore the process of adapting, meddling or adjusting something in the course of making repairs or improvements, a process also known as bricolage. The term "little tinker" is now widely used in the UK as a term of endearment for a cheeky young child. Some modern day nomads with an Irish, Scottish, or English influence call themselves "techno-tinkers" or "technogypsies" and are found to possess a revival of sorts of the romantic view of the tinker's lifestyle. The family name "Tinker" is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and does not have an Irish or Romany connection.

Definition of tinker in the English dictionary

The first definition of tinker in the dictionary is a travelling mender of pots and pans. Other definition of tinker is a clumsy worker. Tinker is also the act of tinkering.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO TINKER

PRESENT

Present

I tinker

you tinker

he/she/it tinkers

we tinker

you tinker

they tinker

Present continuous

I am tinkering

you are tinkering

he/she/it is tinkering

we are tinkering

you are tinkering

they are tinkering

Present perfect

I have tinkered

you have tinkered

he/she/it has tinkered

we have tinkered

you have tinkered

they have tinkered

Present perfect continuous

I have been tinkering

you have been tinkering

he/she/it has been tinkering

we have been tinkering

you have been tinkering

they have been tinkering

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I tinkered

you tinkered

he/she/it tinkered

we tinkered

you tinkered

they tinkered

Past continuous

I was tinkering

you were tinkering

he/she/it was tinkering

we were tinkering

you were tinkering

they were tinkering

Past perfect

I had tinkered

you had tinkered

he/she/it had tinkered

we had tinkered

you had tinkered

they had tinkered

Past perfect continuous

I had been tinkering

you had been tinkering

he/she/it had been tinkering

we had been tinkering

you had been tinkering

they had been tinkering

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will tinker

you will tinker

he/she/it will tinker

we will tinker

you will tinker

they will tinker

Future continuous

I will be tinkering

you will be tinkering

he/she/it will be tinkering

we will be tinkering

you will be tinkering

they will be tinkering

Future perfect

I will have tinkered

you will have tinkered

he/she/it will have tinkered

we will have tinkered

you will have tinkered

they will have tinkered

Future perfect continuous

I will have been tinkering

you will have been tinkering

he/she/it will have been tinkering

we will have been tinkering

you will have been tinkering

they will have been tinkering

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would tinker

you would tinker

he/she/it would tinker

we would tinker

you would tinker

they would tinker

Conditional continuous

I would be tinkering

you would be tinkering

he/she/it would be tinkering

we would be tinkering

you would be tinkering

they would be tinkering

Conditional perfect

I would have tinker

you would have tinker

he/she/it would have tinker

we would have tinker

you would have tinker

they would have tinker

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been tinkering

you would have been tinkering

he/she/it would have been tinkering

we would have been tinkering

you would have been tinkering

they would have been tinkering

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you tinker
we let´s tinker
you tinker

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to tinker

Past participle

tinkered

Present Participle

tinkering

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «TINKER»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «tinker» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of tinker

dabble · fiddle · meddle · mess about · monkey · muck about · play · potter · toy

TRANSLATION OF TINKER

Find out the translation of tinker to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of tinker from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «tinker» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 小修改
• Translator English - Spanish: retocar
• English: tinker
• Translator English - Hindi: टिंकर
• Translator English - Arabic: العبث
• Translator English - Russian: Тинкер
• Translator English - Portuguese: remendar
• Translator English - Bengali: কালাপাতি করা
• Translator English - French: bricoler
• Translator English - Malay: Tinker
• Translator English - German: herumbasteln
• Translator English - Japanese: いじる
• Translator English - Korean: 어설프게 손보다
• Translator English - Javanese: Tinker
• Translator English - Vietnamese: thợ vụng vặt
• Translator English - Tamil: டிங்கர்
• Translator English - Marathi: कल्हई
• Translator English - Turkish: tamircilik
• Translator English - Italian: armeggiare
• Translator English - Polish: Tinker
• Translator English - Ukrainian: Тинкер
• Translator English - Romanian: Tinker
• Translator English - Greek: γανωτή
• Translator English - Afrikaans: geknoei
• Translator English - Swedish: tinker
• Translator English - Norwegian: tinker

10 QUOTES WITH «TINKER»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word tinker.

1

John Barton

I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent aside. Even years afterward, I will revisit them if there is something about them that I cannot give up on.

2

Andrew Bird

No, it's not dissatisfaction that inspires me to tinker with my songs, it's just restlessness.

3

Harry A. Blackmun

I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.

4

Arthur Bloch

If you improve or tinker with something long enough, eventually it will break or malfunction.

5

Peter Carey

At the very end of a book I can manage to work for longer stretches, but mostly, making stuff up for three hours, that's enough. I can't do any more. At the end of the day I might tinker with my morning's work and maybe write some again. But I think three hours is fine.

6

Elvis Costello

I found with this record I had to really be strong-willed, because in the past I've tended to tinker and add a thing or take a thing away, and nearly always been wrong.

7

Crescent Dragonwagon

One of the things I do as a food writer is to take a classic recipe made with meat, look at it a whole lot, and tinker with it according to my taste.

8

Darell Hammond

In an era of parental paranoia, lawsuit mania and testing frenzy, we are failing to inspire our children's curiosity, creativity, and imagination. We are denying them opportunities to tinker, discover, and explore - in short, to play.

9

Darell Hammond

Unstructured play gives kids the space they need to tinker and take risks - both vital for the budding entrepreneur.

10

Charles de Lint

Stone walls confine a tinker; cold iron binds a witch; but a musician's music can never be fettered, for it lives first in her heart and mind.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TINKER»

Discover the use of tinker in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to tinker and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Tinkers

At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature.

Paul Harding, 2010

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is the story of a dramatic year in Virginia's Blue Ridge valley. Annie Dillard sets out to see what she can see. What she sees are astonishing incidents of "mystery, death, beauty, violence."

Annie Dillard, 2009

Tinkers

This little novel is a wonder' Irish Times ' An expert piece of historical and psychological archaeology, which unpicks the intricacies of ordinary life while also asking the terrifying, unanswerable, yet endlessly fascinating questions ...

Paul Harding, 2011

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: A George Smiley Novel

The Oscar-nominated feature film adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and features Gary Oldman as Smiley, Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech), and Tom Hardy ...

John le Carre, 2011

Tinker

Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves.

Wen Spencer, 2004

The Oil Palm

The book traces the origins and progress of the industry, and describes the basic science underlying the physiology, breeding and nutrition of the oil palm.

R. H. V. Corley, P. B. H. Tinker, 2008

Tinker V. Des Moines: Free Speech for Students

Discusses the landmark Supreme Court case which ended with the ruling that students had a right to freely express their views in school as long as they did not disrupt classes.

Susan Dudley Gold, 2007

Persistent Inequalities: Women and World Development

The volume brings together essays by women and men from an international field of scholars representing a wide spectrum of disciplines, including women's studies, economics, sociology, political science, and anthropology.

Irene Tinker, 1990

Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from ...

The first book to address the history of the gay community and Disney, "Tinker Belles and Evil Queens" broadly examines how Disney's corporate strategies have influenced our very definitions of sexuality. 20 photos.

Sean Griffin, 2000

Spirit and Resistance: Political Theology and American ...

Writing from a Native American perspective, theologian Tinker probes American Indian culture, its vast religious and cultural legacy, and its ambiguous relationship to the tradition--historic Christianity--that colonized and converted it.

George E. Tinker

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TINKER»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term tinker is used in the context of the following news items.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author John Le Carre to make cameo in …

The Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy writer will be briefly starring in BBC's forthcoming espionage drama The Night Manager. The drama has a star-studded cast which ... «Express.co.uk, Jun 15»

Reese Witherspoon as Tinker Bell: Disney developing 'Peter Pan …

Disney's had some good luck lately refurbishing their most beloved animated films into live-action hits. The Angelina Jolie-fronted Sleeping Beauty riff Maleficent ... «Entertainment Weekly, May 15»

An Interview With Tinker Hatfield About Footwear Design, The Air …

An unearthed sketch by Tinker Hatfield that dates back to early 1986 was brought to life at the hands of Nike Sportswear's design team, with appropriate updates ... «Sneaker News, Mar 15»

Tinker-based Navy Commander fired

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. — A navy commander based at Tinker Air Force Base was fired Tuesday. The Navy is citing 'loss of confidence in the commander's ability ... «kfor.com, Mar 15»

'Coronation Street' Spoiler: Crash Details Revealed! Sinead Tinker …

'Coronation Street' Spoiler: Crash Details Revealed! Sinead Tinker To Be Left 'Seriously Injured' (PICS). The Huffington Post UK | By Rachel McGrath · Email. «Huffington Post UK, Jan 15»

Coronation Street's Kirk Sutherland and Beth Tinker dress up for 80s …

So Kirk Sutherland's (Andy Whyment) wedding was going to be nothing short of unconventional, as he and Beth Tinker (Lisa George) prepare to walk down the ... «Daily Mail, Dec 14»

Mel B lands Tinker Bell movie role - and suggests characters for the …

X Factor judge Mel B has traded in Scary Spice for Fury Spice as she has landed a role voicing a fairy - aptly named Fury - in Disney's new Tinker Bell film, Mirror ... «Mirror.co.uk, Dec 14»

Melissa McCarthy to Play Tinker Bell for Shawn Levy

Melissa McCarthy has a knack for playing big personalities, but one of her next roles will be very very small. She's set to play the fairy Tinker Bell in an untitled ... «/FILM, Nov 14»

'An evil person': Oklahoma teen charged with murdering family …

The report says Tinker and Katherine's bodies were found on the kitchen floor ... confessed to stealing his father's 9mm pistol and shooting his mother, Tinker, ... «kfor.com, Oct 14»

Update: Husband, wife and daughter found dead inside Oklahoma …

DUNCAN, Okla. – Investigators in Duncan, Okla. are looking new evidence involving a family's triple murder. John Hruby, his wife Tinker, and daughter ... «kfor.com, Oct 14»