I. tin ‧ ker 1 /ˈtɪŋkə $ -ər/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
to make small changes to something in order to repair it or make it work better
tinker with
Congress has been tinkering with the legislation.
tinker around with something
Dad was always tinkering around with engines.
II. tinker 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: Perhaps from tink ( ⇨ ↑ tinkle 2 ); from the sounds made by someone mending a metal pot ]
1 . in the past, a tinker was someone who travelled from place to place selling things or repairing metal pots, pans etc
2 . British English old-fashioned a disobedient or annoying young child