tinkered

VERB

fiddle with

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dabble mess

STRONG

doodle fix monkey niggle play puddle putter repair toy

WEAK

mess with muck about play with take apart trifle with

Antonyms

STRONG

break destroy work

WEAK

leave alone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Along the way, he tinkered with classical music on 1991's Liverpool Oratorio and released a series of dance albums as The Fireman.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Amorim tinkered his system once more to try and turn the tide, but his substitution of Casemiro left the Brazilian befuddled.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

He tinkered around with the idea and developed a flash-frozen burrito filled with beef, beans and red chili powder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

Olivia Watts said she was "in tears" as she watched her grandparents Ron and Marilyn Hill take each other for a spin on Tuesday - before Ron tinkered on the famous Wurlitzer organ.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025

He tinkered with some metal scraps from his building kit for a while, but whatever he was making, he wasn’t happy with it.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan