How to Use tinkle in a Sentence
- The ice tinkled in the glass.
- He tinkled a small bell.
- A piano was tinkling in the background.
-
But the plotting will continue, and the Jester will be there to tinkle his bells of steel.
—James Wolcott, The Hive, 21 Feb. 2017
-
The only sound breaking through the hot afternoon air comes from a snorting pair of cows in the neighbor’s yard, and tinkling wind chimes hang over the porch.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2018
-
There’s often a pianist tinkling away in the corner of the airy elegant room in the afternoon.
—Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Mar. 2018
-
Bursts of tinkling metal madness somehow mesh with the overall darkness of the slow second movement.
—Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 12 June 2016
-
In the evening, the buzz of The Promenade is back, with a pianist tinkling the ivories and an assortment of guests gathering, chatting and socialising.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2023
-
As her name suggests, the fairy uses a tinkling, bell-like sound to communicate, but no one can understand her.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2023
-
But as the Steinway tinkled and voices filled the room, vibrations rose from deep beneath the earth, like a musical giant shifting in its grave.
—Ben Widdicombe, New York Times, 24 June 2017
-
Chanting, tinkling bells and crashing waves swelled into my headphones at the same time as rumbling and vibrating increased on all sides of me.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2023
-
The Spirio | r, which debuted last month on Steinway’s 166th birthday, allows users of the piano brand to record themselves tinkling the keys, and then adjust the recording themselves via the Spirio app.
—Rob Ledonne, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2019
-
Then on through the enfilade of the bishop’s handsome state rooms, and into his private sitting rooms where a pianist tinkled the ivories, and onto the broad tiled terrace that had never before been opened to the public.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 11 July 2017
-
For all 17 months of her life, Yarielis Paulino-Pepin has only known the warm nest of a hospital room, where gentle lullabies tinkle amid the hum, swish, and beeping of machines keeping her alive.
—Amanda Milkovits, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Dec. 2021
-
Music tinkled in the background as the afternoon light filtered through the large picture windows, creating a gauzy glow on the leaves of the copious greenery throughout.
—Chase Difeliciantonio, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Apr. 2023
-
Dinners were often silent, interrupted only by tinkling ice in a whiskey glass.
—Robin Antalek, Longreads, 22 Apr. 2020
-
The tragic Motley Crue song about a man who kills his lover is beautifully heartbreaking, from its tinkling piano melody to the glimmering guitar.
—Christa Titus, Billboard, 31 July 2017
-
There are guitar solos, tinkling electric pianos, ‘70s funk bass, piledriving drums and even acoustic guitars.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 12 May 2023
-
Curlers rarely merit those up-close-and-personal Olympic bios accompanied by tinkling piano.
—Author: Karen Heller, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Jan. 2018
-
This late Camp cut lightly swirls tinkling xylophone with soft strings to juxtapose the complications of adult love and the pure simplicity of childhood crushes.
—Zach Dionne, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2017
-
Ethereal notes of a glass harmonica, its sound resembling that of clinking glasses, tinkled as incense wafted through the air.
—National Geographic, 5 Mar. 2019
-
The sound of a piano softly tinkles in the background, gradually building (strings are optional now) into a fermata.
—Cmo Today Staff, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2017
-
Sparse rhythms, tinkling piano, energetic handclaps and soulful backing vocals that would feel right at home in a fervent church service bolster lyrics that namecheck bluegrassers Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 15 May 2023
-
On their shelves are the previous decade’s big moneymakers — tinkling meditation balls, replica swords, qipaos and noisemakers.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2019
-
Keeningly mournful strings are deployed to underline the melancholic mood, plus sad, tinkling piano in the wake of particularly grim or tragic developments.
—Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2017
-
But this is a movie that's more efficient than emotionally affecting, a factor underlined by the heavy-handed use of Edward Shearmur's pensive score dominated by tinkling piano.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2020
- The ice tinkled in the glass.
- He tinkled a small bell.
- A piano was tinkling in the background.
-
But the plotting will continue, and the Jester will be there to tinkle his bells of steel.
—James Wolcott, The Hive, 21 Feb. 2017
-
The tags tinkle in the wind and give the dog a permanent sparkle.
—Mary Forgione, latimes.com, 1 Apr. 2018
-
The dog swam back to shore and shook itself, and the tinkle of its collar bounced across the surface of the water and toward Chip.
—Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2021
-
In the center of the courtyard, the tinkle of glasses can be heard over the asthmatic gurgle of the fountain.
—New York Times, 11 Nov. 2020
-
Soon, the air is alive with the deep thump of the tuba, the tiny tinkle of the triangle and everything in between, melting into a soothing melody.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2022
-
In every corner of the establishment — the florist shop, the main store and the outdoor nursery — the sound of trickling water mingled with the tinkle of wind chimes.
—Janis Mara, The Mercury News, 24 May 2017
-
Why the Alcatraz foghorn when a bicycle tinkle-bell would do?
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2021
-
Sound designer Matt Reed mixed the actors’ voices with sounds that evoked the narratives, like the tinkle of a wine glass on a first date, or the mechanical creaks of a plane in a deep dive to the ground.
—Nora McGreevy, BostonGlobe.com, 18 June 2019
-
But not everyone is tickled by the tower taking a tinkle.
—Sarah Rumpf, Fox News, 20 May 2022
-
The notes were few, as a large orchestra thinned to the tinkle of harp, mandolin and celesta littering soft, ethereal drones in the select strings and winds.
—Mark Swed, latimes.com, 6 Apr. 2018
-
From the tinkle, the researchers fished out 181 bacteria spanning the diversity of microbes in the bladder and sequenced their genomes.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 1 Feb. 2018
-
Walking on the broken porcelain conjures the most enchanting crack-crunch-tinkle.
—Vanessa Hua, SFChronicle.com, 10 Sep. 2020
-
While the familiar tinkle of the Red Kettle bells can still be heard throughout the next few weeks, there are also fewer bells throughout the nation because of the pandemic.
—Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2020
-
At the resort, which presides over the pretty Kalemya Bay, all is quiet, apart from the splish-splashing of the waves and perhaps the faint tinkle of laughter of someone giving paddle boarding a go.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 12 June 2022
-
External sounds and sights bleed into this exhibition, which also resonates with the whir and creak and tinkle of sculptures in motion.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 June 2017
-
What is the difference between face shaving with a tinkle razor and dermaplaning?
—Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 28 May 2021
-
Above us a chandelier's crystal pendants tinkle in time with a soldier's footfalls in an upper bedroom.
—Elliot Ackerman, Esquire, 23 Mar. 2017
-
In a delectable detail, Missy’s hypnotic aid is not a swinging wristwatch but the tinkle of a teaspoon in a china cup.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2017
-
The backing track is a bass line going nowhere slowly, oozing to bind together twitches of electronic percussion and little tinkles and twangs that drift in and out.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2017
-
Roses wreath bespoke trellises, and the gentle tinkle from black slate fountains fills the space, an almost meditative hum.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 23 June 2021
-
Light rain above tinkles musically, reaching a crescendo when heavier storms pass.
—Elizabeth Preston, Science | AAAS, 20 June 2019
-
The music drones and burbles, tinkles and undulates, taking its time and lingering over instrumental stretches.
—New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
-
Only minutes by water from downtown Manhattan, Governors Island has an otherworldly air, a car-free oasis where the only sounds on the trails are lapping waves and the tinkle of bicycle bells.
—Gina Levay, Smithsonian, 29 May 2017
-
Only minutes by water from downtown Manhattan, Governors Island has an otherworldly air, a car-free oasis where the only sounds on the trails are lapping waves and the tinkle of bicycle bells.
—Gina Levay, Smithsonian, 2 May 2017
-
The music drones and burbles, tinkles and undulates, taking its time and lingering over instrumental stretches as if people are still willing to experience a whole album from start to finish.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2018
-
The tags tinkle in the wind and give the dog a permanent sparkle.
—Mary Forgione, latimes.com, 1 Apr. 2018
-
The dog swam back to shore and shook itself, and the tinkle of its collar bounced across the surface of the water and toward Chip.
—Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2021
-
In the center of the courtyard, the tinkle of glasses can be heard over the asthmatic gurgle of the fountain.
—New York Times, 11 Nov. 2020
-
Soon, the air is alive with the deep thump of the tuba, the tiny tinkle of the triangle and everything in between, melting into a soothing melody.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2022
-
In every corner of the establishment — the florist shop, the main store and the outdoor nursery — the sound of trickling water mingled with the tinkle of wind chimes.
—Janis Mara, The Mercury News, 24 May 2017
-
Why the Alcatraz foghorn when a bicycle tinkle-bell would do?
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2021
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tinkle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Last Updated: