tinker with

Idioms

Try to repair, work aimlessly or unskillfully with, as in He tinkered with the engine all day but it still wouldn't start. This idiom, first recorded in 1658, alludes to working as a tinker, that is, mending metal utensils.

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.

While her kids watch TV, Acheson likes to tinker with Claude.

From The Wall Street Journal

While the authorities tinker with laws and competitions, they dare not meddle with the famous old Championship.

From BBC

And the dominant instinct in India is to tinker with onerous rules to make them somewhat less oppressive rather than attempt a sweeping overhaul.

From The Wall Street Journal

As the original firebrands age, a new generation looks to tinker with the system, loosen its ideological strictures, and even reanimate a national compact.

From The Wall Street Journal

Waiting could pay off for people who want more in their paychecks instead of big refunds — but who don’t want to tinker with their withholdings.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023