twinkle

1 of 2

verb

twin·​kle ˈtwiŋ-kəl How to pronounce twinkle (audio)
twinkled; twinkling ˈtwiŋ-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce twinkle (audio)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1
: to cause to shine with fluctuating light
2
: to flicker or flirt rapidly
twinkled the straight, red-lacquered toesGlenway Wescott
twinkler noun

twinkle

2 of 2

noun

1
: an intermittent radiance : flicker, sparkle
2
: a rapid flashing motion : flit
3
: a wink of the eyelids
4
: the instant's duration of a wink : twinkling
twinkly adjective

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 Web
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

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.

Kids Definition

twinkle

1 of 2 verb
twin·​kle ˈtwiŋ-kəl How to pronounce twinkle (audio)
twinkled; twinkling -k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce twinkle (audio)
1
: to shine or cause to shine with a flickering or sparkling light
2
: to appear bright with amusement
his eyes twinkled
3
: to move or flutter rapidly
twinkler noun

twinkle

2 of 2 noun
1
: a very short time
2
twinkly adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on twinkle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!