I. ˈtiŋkəl verb
( tinkled ; tinkled ; tinkling -k(ə)liŋ ; tinkles )
Etymology: Middle English tinklen, freq. of tinken to make a tinkling sound
intransitive verb
1. : tingle
2.
a. : to make or emit a tinkle
bells from distant sheep tinkle through dreamy air — Lord Dunsany
drums beating and marimbas tinkling — Dan Wickenden
b. : to make a sound suggestive of a tinkle especially while flowing or moving
the brook tinkled — George Meredith
a footfall tinkled suddenly, incredibly tiny — Elinor Wylie
the chaffinches tinkled excitedly — Gerald Durrell
c. : rhyme , jingle
frames it in tripping rhythms and absurdly tinkling rhymes — Louis Untermeyer
3.
a. : to produce a sound of or suggestive of a tinkle
she tinkled on the piano but was not allowed to join an orchestra — Virginia Woolf
can sit … and tinkle away at waltzes — Claudia Cassidy
b. : to talk idly or foolishly or in a light gay manner : chatter , prate
skipping and tinkling through all the social events of the town — Dorothy Parker
4. : urinate — not often in polite use
transitive verb
1. : to sound or make known (the time) by a tinkle
through the tumult the bells … tinkled the hour — Hugh Walpole
— sometimes used with out
a small ornate clock … that tinkled out the hours — Mary Deasy
2.
a. : to cause to make the sound of or as if of a tinkle
likes to tinkle the piano keys
tinkles his guitar at every opportunity
b. : to produce (a sound or tune) by tinkling
sitting idly tinkling a tune on his harpsichord
— sometimes used with out
found a Jew's harp … and began to tinkle out an Irish jig tune — Henry Lapham
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a series of short high ringing or clinking sounds
from the engine room the tinkle of bells — R.H.Davis
the tinkle of glassware — H.A.Sinclair
b. : a sound suggestive of a tinkle
the high tinkle of the harp — Willa Cather
the high tinkle of their laughter — Irwin Shaw
after the tinkle of accompaniment … he made the old songs roar — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson
2. : a jingling sound effect achieved in light repetitious verse or in wordy empty prose
the tinkle of words is all that strikes the ears — William Mason