tink·er

noun

/ˈtɪŋkə(r)/

/ˈtɪŋkər/

(in the past) a person who travelled from place to place, selling or repairing things（走街串巷的）小炉匠，补锅匠，白铁匠
(British English, offensive) an offensive word for a Traveller, Romani or other member of the travelling community对旅行者、罗姆人或旅游社区其他成员的冒犯性词语

Word OriginMiddle English (first recorded in Anglo-Latin as a surname): of unknown origin.

verb

/ˈtɪŋkə(r)/

/ˈtɪŋkər/

[intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they tinker	/ˈtɪŋkə(r)/ /ˈtɪŋkər/
he / she / it tinkers	/ˈtɪŋkəz/ /ˈtɪŋkərz/
past simple tinkered	/ˈtɪŋkəd/ /ˈtɪŋkərd/
past participle tinkered	/ˈtɪŋkəd/ /ˈtɪŋkərd/
-ing form tinkering	/ˈtɪŋkərɪŋ/ /ˈtɪŋkərɪŋ/

tinker (with something) to make small changes to something in order to repair or improve it, especially in a way that may not be helpful（尤指不起作用地）小修补，小修理
- He’s in the garage tinkering with his bike.他在车库里摆弄他的自行车。
- The password will prevent others from tinkering with your data.密码将防止其他人修改您的数据。
- The government is merely tinkering at the edges of a much wider problem.政府只是在解决一个更广泛问题的边缘。
Word OriginMiddle English (first recorded in Anglo-Latin as a surname): of unknown origin.