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

I hit some other bumps in the road as I tinkered.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

"Yesterday, two helicopters landed right here. They tinkered with something, then left again," Mathiassen recalled.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

The Badgers made seven of 11 three-pointers on the way to building a 20-point lead midway through the first half as Cronin continually tinkered with his lineup, trying to find a winning combination.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

He tinkered with his draft for a further quarter of an hour, then threaded in new sheets and typed up a fair copy.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan