tinkle
Americanverb (used without object)
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to give forth or make a succession of short, light, ringing sounds, as a small bell.
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to run one's fingers lightly over a keyboard instrument or to play such an instrument simply or badly.
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Baby Talk. to urinate.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to tinkle or jingle.
The goat tinkled its bell every time it raised its head. Who's tinkling the piano?
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to make known, call attention to, attract, or summon by tinkling.
noun
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a tinkling sound or tune.
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an act or instance of tinkling.
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Informal. a telephone call.
Give me a tinkle before you leave for Europe.
verb
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to ring or cause to ring with a series of high tinny sounds, like a small bell
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(tr) to announce or summon by such a ringing
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informal (intr) to urinate
noun
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a high clear ringing sound
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the act of tinkling
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informal a telephone call
Other Word Forms
- outtinkle verb (used with object)
- tinkling adjective
- tinkly adjective
Etymology
Origin of tinkle
1350–1400; Middle English tynclen, frequentative of tinken to clink; imitative
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.
The only sound was the soft tinkling of the harp.
From Literature
But before I can talk myself into heading back into the rain, the bell tinkles again.
From Literature
"I'd just sit there most evenings, tinkling on it," he says and that curiosity led him to train as a piano tuner.
From BBC
Roberts doesn’t offer much empathy for the poor, diseased critter other than a pause when Ben momentarily ponders his reflection in a pool as Adrian Johnston’s eerie synth-piano score tinkles.
From Los Angeles Times
Step closer and you hear the contraption appearing to breathe, a tinkling sound like wind chimes emanating from the cooling mechanism that keeps its innards colder than outer space.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
