noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈtɹɪkəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪkəl
CMU ARPABET:T R IH1 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A very thin river.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The brook had shrunk to a mere trickle.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A very thin flow; the sound of such a flow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The tap of the washbasin in my bedroom is leaking and the trickle drives me mad at night.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
The doctor trickled some iodine on the wound.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
Here the water just trickles along, but later it becomes a torrent.
The film was so bad that people trickled out of the cinema before its end.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To move or roll slowly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
there's a drip through the roof
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: drip, dribble
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: flow, flowing
Narrower terms: intravenous drip
7
verb
Meaning 7
run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
water trickled onto the lawn from the broken hose
reports began to dribble in
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dribble, filter
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: run, flow, feed, course
Narrower terms: leach, percolate
History
Etymology
From Middle English triklen, likely a rebracketing (e.g. teres strikled > teerys trikled (“tears trickled”)) of Middle English striklen (“to trickle”), equivalent to strike + -le. For other similar cases of incorrect division, see also apron, daffodil, newt, nickname, orange, umpire.
Across languages
Translations
86 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Esperanto:
rivereto
— a very thin river
Finnish:
puro
— a very thin river
French:
filet
— a very thin river
German:
Rinnsal
— a very thin river
Northern Kurdish:
robar
— a very thin river
Russian:
ручеёк
(ručejók)
— a very thin river
Slovak:
stružka
— a very thin river
Slovak:
jarok
— a very thin river
Spanish:
riachuelo
— a very thin river
Ukrainian:
струмочок
(strumočok)
— a very thin river
Bulgarian:
капене
(kapene)
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Czech:
pramínek
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Czech:
čůrek
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Esperanto:
flueto
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Finnish:
noro
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
French:
dégoulinade
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
German:
Tröpfeln
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
German:
Getröpfel
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Irish:
silín
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Italian:
gocciolio
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Italian:
sgocciolio
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Northern Kurdish:
herik
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Russian:
стру́йка
(strújka)
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Slovak:
pramienok
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Spanish:
chorreo
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Spanish:
chiringuito
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Spanish:
goteo
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Spanish:
instilación
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Swedish:
droppande
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Ukrainian:
цівка
(civka)
— a very thin flow; the act of trickling
Bulgarian:
капя
(kapja)
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Esperanto:
gute verŝi
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Finnish:
valuttaa
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Finnish:
noruttaa
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
French:
verser goutte à goutte
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
German:
tröpfeln
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
German:
träufeln
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Gujarati:
ટપકવું
(ṭapakvũ)
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Ingrian:
valuttaa
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Irish:
sil
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Māori:
whakamāturu
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Māori:
whakamāturuturu
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Persian:
چک چک کردن
(ček ček kardan)
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Spanish:
instilar
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Ukrainian:
крапати
(krapaty)
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Ukrainian:
стікати
(stikaty)
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Ukrainian:
лити цівкою
(lyty civkoju)
— to pour a liquid in a very thin stream, or so that drops fall continuously
Armenian:
ծորալ
(coral)
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Catalan:
rajar
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Catalan:
regalimar
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Cornish:
devera
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Czech:
stékat po kapkách
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Czech:
kanout
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Czech:
téct čůrkem
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Czech:
crčet
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Dutch:
druppelen
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Esperanto:
gute flui
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Finnish:
valua
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Finnish:
norua
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
French:
dégouliner
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
French:
ruisseler
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Galician:
pingar
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
German:
tröpfeln
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
German:
rieseln
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Irish:
sil
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Italian:
gocciolare
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Italian:
sgocciolare
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Latin:
stillare
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Manx:
sheel
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
koreto
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
kotokoto
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
tohihī
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
māturu
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
māturuturu
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
paheke
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
totō
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Māori:
hohō
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Russian:
сочи́ться
(sočítʹsja)
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Sanskrit:
गलति
(galati)
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Spanish:
chorrear
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Spanish:
gotear
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Spanish:
instilarse
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Ukrainian:
сочитися
(sočytysja)
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Ukrainian:
точитися
(točytysja)
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Ukrainian:
текти цівкою
(tekty civkoju)
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously
Vietnamese:
chảy nhỏ giọt
— to flow in a very thin stream or drop continuously