tinkle 1 of 2

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

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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
With a swish of metal that was something akin to the tinkle of windchimes, the British Vogue contributor, modeling a dress covered entirely in metal discs, arrived in style: with London designer of the moment Marco Capaldo acting as her knight in shining 16Arlington. Alice Newbold, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2023 Outside the window, light glints off the pool, and a stone waterfall tinkles. Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2023
Verb
Guests in silk blouses and slacks sipped scotch while the piano man tinkled the keys. Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2024 That had to have felt like Old Man Winter tinkling on his shoulder. Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for tinkle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkle
Noun
  • Sonic booms have become a source of consternation for Southern Californians living near Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, where officials with SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force have acknowledged that their rocket launches and landings are causing the regular rattles.
    Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
  • Shaking and rolling helps develop hand-eye coordination and promotes dexterity, and one parent tester appreciated the wooden rattle’s ability to foster independent play for her baby.
    Pamela Brill, Parents, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • After more than two centuries clinking in pockets, lining dusty piggy banks and being flung into fountains along with a wish, the U.S. penny is preparing for retirement.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
  • Even after hours in the hot sun, the ice inside is still clinking around.
    Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • Tucked up in the hills between Cannes and Grasse, a small stucco villa once owned by America’s most beloved culinary icon is bustling with the clatter of copper pans at chef Makenna Held’s Cook Camp.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
  • No 9, a physical presence up top who wears his shorts like a 1980s Rugby League player and clatters into opponents with a ferocity to match.
    Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • And that repeating first couplet — which comprises six of the poem’s 18 lines and occupied the first day of this challenge — will surely jingle in your pocket for a long time to come.
    A.O. Scott, New York Times, 2 May 2025
  • Men dressed as 1880s gunfighters are forever clomping up and down wooden sidewalks with jingling spurs and holstered revolvers on their belts.
    Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Though this installation of tintinnabulation has been a feature of the garden for more than a decade, some frequent visitors only noticed the chimes this summer, when a small crew recently installed them in a large linden tree adjacent to Parade Stadium.
    Kim Hyatt, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021
  • Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021
Verb
  • The alarm rings familiar, and so does the cost of overreach.
    Michael Luo, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
  • The hospital is looking to continue the care of its current patients and is accepting new patients, from those who have not yet been diagnosed to those ringing the bell once their treatment is completed.
    Lillian Ashworth, Oc Register, 6 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkle. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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