tinkle 1 of 2

Definition of tinklenext
as in rattle
a series of short high ringing sounds the soothing tinkle of the wind chime on the back porch

Synonyms & Similar Words

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tinkle

2 of 2

verb

as in to clink
to make a repeated sharp light ringing sound the bell around the cat's neck tinkled as he ran across the yard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tinkle
Noun
From the moment that Jerry Goldsmith’s piano tinkles caress the opening bars of his score while stars float past the frame, anyone with a soul knows that this is not your average IP cash-in. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025 The water fountains are trickling; wind chimes tinkle and shimmer in the breeze, and the store’s seemingly endless lines of indoor and outdoor décor are available to celebrate each season and occasion. Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
Verb
Accordingly, recognisable Western archetypes abound, from the saloon bar serving pungent shots of whiskey to the tinkling accompaniment of Scott Joplin, to the majority of the characters themselves. Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026 The marbled, frescoed, octagonal room was domed to amplify the sound of a tinkling keys at the center, and hosted regular recitals. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tinkle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkle
Noun
  • Pygmy Rattlesnakes are small and colorful, around 15 to 20 inches in length, with a vertical pupil, thin tail, and tiny rattle.
    Jack Armstrong, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 3 June 2026
  • Elsewhere in the snippet of the music video, Latto could be seen walking around a white crib and viewing a scrapbook featuring a page with a rattle and dummy and a positive ClearBlue pregnancy test placed on top.
    Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • There is the sound of laughter, clinking wine glasses, and lively conversations as everyone waits for the mystery wine tasting of the evening.
    Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Avtan often won’t tell Paz anything about the source or meaning of her many samples, which can take the form of fragmented dialogue and what sounds like clinking kitchenware.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026
Noun
  • No clatter of boots and ankles.
    Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 23 June 2026
  • Kids don pinafores, bonnets, and straw hats to study in the one-room schoolhouse, then learn to drive a team of horses or mules and clatter along in a pony cart.
    Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • The Household Cavalry, on dark horses and with brightly shining breastplates, trotted past, jingling like a cutlery drawer.
    Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • The hiker then begins jingling bells in the bear's face in an attempt to scare it off, but the bear charges forward.
    Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Cloudy chords, meditative tintinnabulation, the whoosh of wind and rain, blocks of iridescent brass — all these discrete sonorities trundled by, like a train of boxcars with panoramas painted on their sides.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021
Verb
  • When that happened, on July 4, 1778, locals rang the old bell, which had been delivered up the Mississippi from New Orleans, and for a long time locals stored the bell inside the church.
    Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Fans launched their beer in the air when the final whistle rang out.
    Eleanor Nash July 4, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkle. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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