tinkering

present participle of tinker

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkering
Verb
  • Residents described idling in traffic as roads became jammed with evacuees.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The gunshot woke up a neighbor, who the Game Commission said saw the truck idling near where the carcass was found the next morning.
    Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Kids who used to run to the field excited to play, suddenly started loafing to the field wearing their crocs with their heads buried in their phones.
    Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
  • The pair had been loafing for some time among a grove of apple trees on a private residence in Payson.
    Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Indeed, Ederson has moments where he can be caught dawdling with the ball, hoping for an opening that doesn’t always arrive.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Also, don’t get too out of control horsing around with friends in the water.
    John Natale, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
  • After horsing around, peruse the quilt displays, agriculture exhibits and arts-and-crafts competitions.
    Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • While hardier, wipeable furniture certainly has its time and place (say, messy craft sessions and sticky snack times), something a little more plush lends itself well to lounging around, reading breaks, and more relaxed forms of play.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Right outside the building are multiple firepits (one for lounging, one for roasting s’mores), lawn games, and even a small wooden playground with swings and climbing structures.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • While some might show their boredom by doodling on paper or playing on their phone, this pilot took his message to new heights – roughly 1,100 feet (335 meters).
    Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Art therapy isn’t just finger painting and doodling.
    Hannah Silverman, Parents, 17 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tinkering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkering. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster