gimlet

1 of 4

noun (1)

gim·​let ˈgim-lət 

: a small tool with a screw point, grooved shank, and cross handle for boring holes

Illustration of gimlet

gimlet

2 of 4

adjective

: having a piercing or penetrating quality

gimlet

3 of 4

verb

gimleted; gimleting; gimlets

transitive verb

: to pierce as if with a gimlet

gimlet

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a drink consisting of sweetened lime juice and gin or vodka and sometimes carbonated or plain water

Examples of gimlet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Then Ser Simon Strong interrupts, asking him about the duck, and Daemon comes back to reality at the dinner table, where Alys Rivers is watching him with a gimlet eye. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 14 July 2024

Take a moment to look at Europe’s burgeoning turmoil through Vladimir Putin’s gimlet eyes. —Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 12 June 2024

Cocktails include honey-lavender lemonade, a basil gimlet, and the District Eight, made with bourbon, orange, house tonic, lemon and topped with Angostura bitters. —Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 31 May 2024

Watching it all with a gimlet eye, Mary — his old friend who’s still helplessly in love with him — takes Frank to task for sacrificing his theatrical partnership with Charley for hollow Hollywood success. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French guimbelet, from Middle French (Picard), modification of Middle Dutch wimmelkijn, from wimmel wimble

Noun (2)

probably from gimlet entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1752, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1928, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gimlet

• gimlet-eyed

Kids Definition

gimlet

noun

gim·​let

ˈgim-lət

: a small tool with a screw point and cross handle for boring holes