twinkled; twinkling
ˈtwiŋ-k(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to shine with a flickering or sparkling light : scintillate
2
a
: to appear bright especially with merriment
his eyes twinkled
b
: to flutter the eyelids
3
: to flutter or flit rapidly
1
: to cause to shine with fluctuating light
2
: to flicker or flirt rapidly
twinkled the straight, red-lacquered toes—
Glenway Wescott
Glenway Wescott2
: a rapid flashing motion : flit
3
: a wink of the eyelids
4
: the instant's duration of a wink : twinkling
Synonyms
Examples of twinkle in a Sentence
Verb
The lights of the city twinkled in the distance.
Stars twinkle in the night sky.
Her eyes twinkled with excitement.
Noun
We saw the twinkle of a candle in the window.
in just a twinkle, the shooting star was gone
Recent Examples on the WebLiam Hess, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2023
Over the next few days, teams inside the stores work feverishly putting up 3,500 trees and hanging 3,900 garlands, 4,350 wreaths and 95,000 strings of twinkling lights — all in preparation for Black Friday.
—Julie Creswell, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
Visitors come each year to see hundreds of twinkling Christmas trees elaborately decorated by sponsoring organizations and individuals.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023
Additionally, his custom Rolls-Royce Ghost flexes a ceiling of twinkling lights mimicking a galaxy of stars — including shooting stars.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Over seven feet with 500 twinkling white lights, the tree instantly adds a warm and festive glow to any room.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 2 Nov. 2023
In between touring, the group also looks forward to their holiday activities — like driving to see twinkling Christmas lights.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023
Christmas Concert at Mission San Luis Rey The San Luis Rey Chorale performs the 12th annual concert and singalong in the Historic Mission San Luis Rey Church at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 with a dessert reception in the Sacred Garden among twinkling lights and an encore performance at 2 p.m. Dec. 1.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
Marvel at your neighbors' displays and see all of the many lights twinkling in the darkness.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2023
Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2023
Christmas, Italian style Little Italy hosts a Tree Lighting and Christmas Village from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at Piazza della Famiglia, 523 W. Date St., with twinkle lights and 10-foot-tall nutcrackers decorating the neighborhood along with kinetic tree holiday displays on street corners.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2023
Christmas, Italian style: Little Italy hosts a Tree Lighting and Christmas Village from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at Piazza della Famiglia, 523 W. Date St., with twinkle lights and 10-foot-tall nutcrackers decorating the neighborhood along with kinetic tree holiday displays on street corners.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2023
Metallic greens and golds can be blended to create a smoky, sultry effect, while a touch of champagne or silver shimmer in the inner corners of the eyes adds a twinkle reminiscent of the crispy cool bubbles that look almost crystallized in a cold martini.
—Sheilla Mamona, Glamour, 5 Oct. 2023
Stars including Jana Kramer, Teri Hatcher, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry and Tatyana Ali will be making sure the twinkle lights are installed en masse and the stockings are hung by the chimneys with care this season.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
The video starts with a look at the outside of the house, where purple and orange twinkle lights illuminate the shrubs along the walkway and the windows are lit up in different colors.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 21 Oct. 2023
When the air outside begins to nip, and the rest of the neighborhood is adorned in twinkle lights and strands of garland, my childhood home would fill with the smell of oil and crisping potatoes as my mother, Emily Angel Baer, transformed into the Latke Lady.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2023
These gorgeous strands have 300 or 400 LED lights that are dimmable and feature eight lighting modes such as flashing, slow fade, and twinkle.
—Erin Mayer, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2023
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Verb
Elsewhere, there are two jewel box bars: the speakeasy-style Punch Room, which features cozy wood paneling and a roaring fireplace, or the decadent Jade Room, a boutique 12-seater cocktail bar with veined marble walls and twinkling emerald lights.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2023
Over the next few days, teams inside the stores work feverishly putting up 3,500 trees and hanging 3,900 garlands, 4,350 wreaths and 95,000 strings of twinkling lights — all in preparation for Black Friday.
—Julie Creswell, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
Visitors come each year to see hundreds of twinkling Christmas trees elaborately decorated by sponsoring organizations and individuals.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023
Additionally, his custom Rolls-Royce Ghost flexes a ceiling of twinkling lights mimicking a galaxy of stars — including shooting stars.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Over seven feet with 500 twinkling white lights, the tree instantly adds a warm and festive glow to any room.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 2 Nov. 2023
In between touring, the group also looks forward to their holiday activities — like driving to see twinkling Christmas lights.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023
Christmas Concert at Mission San Luis Rey The San Luis Rey Chorale performs the 12th annual concert and singalong in the Historic Mission San Luis Rey Church at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 with a dessert reception in the Sacred Garden among twinkling lights and an encore performance at 2 p.m. Dec. 1.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
Marvel at your neighbors' displays and see all of the many lights twinkling in the darkness.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2023
Noun
Avoid a Dimly Lit Christmas Tree When in doubt, always add more twinkle lights.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2023
Christmas, Italian style Little Italy hosts a Tree Lighting and Christmas Village from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at Piazza della Famiglia, 523 W. Date St., with twinkle lights and 10-foot-tall nutcrackers decorating the neighborhood along with kinetic tree holiday displays on street corners.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2023
Christmas, Italian style: Little Italy hosts a Tree Lighting and Christmas Village from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at Piazza della Famiglia, 523 W. Date St., with twinkle lights and 10-foot-tall nutcrackers decorating the neighborhood along with kinetic tree holiday displays on street corners.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2023
Metallic greens and golds can be blended to create a smoky, sultry effect, while a touch of champagne or silver shimmer in the inner corners of the eyes adds a twinkle reminiscent of the crispy cool bubbles that look almost crystallized in a cold martini.
—Sheilla Mamona, Glamour, 5 Oct. 2023
Stars including Jana Kramer, Teri Hatcher, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry and Tatyana Ali will be making sure the twinkle lights are installed en masse and the stockings are hung by the chimneys with care this season.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
The video starts with a look at the outside of the house, where purple and orange twinkle lights illuminate the shrubs along the walkway and the windows are lit up in different colors.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 21 Oct. 2023
When the air outside begins to nip, and the rest of the neighborhood is adorned in twinkle lights and strands of garland, my childhood home would fill with the smell of oil and crisping potatoes as my mother, Emily Angel Baer, transformed into the Latke Lady.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2023
These gorgeous strands have 300 or 400 LED lights that are dimmable and feature eight lighting modes such as flashing, slow fade, and twinkle.
—Erin Mayer, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'twinkle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Old English twinclian; akin to Middle High German zwinken to blink
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1548, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of twinkle was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing twinkle
Dictionary Entries Near twinkle
Cite this Entry
“Twinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twinkle. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
twinkle
2 of 2 noun1
: a very short time
More from Merriam-Webster on twinkle
Nglish: Translation of twinkle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of twinkle for Arabic Speakers
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