twinkle

play

verb twin·kle \ ˈtwiŋ-kəl \

Definition of twinkle

twinkled; twinkling play \-k(ə-)liŋ\

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 toes
—Glenway Wescott

—

twinkler

play \-k(ə-)lər\ noun

See twinkle defined for English-language learners

See twinkle defined for kids

Examples of twinkle in a Sentence

The lights of the city twinkled in the distance.
Stars twinkle in the night sky.
Her eyes twinkled with excitement.

Recent Examples of twinkle from the Web

Overhead, twinkling chandeliers of wood, chrome and crystal illuminate carefully crafted displays.

— danielle ohl, baltimoresun.com, "Once a month, Fallston's Main Street becomes a booming home decor destination," 25 Aug. 2017
The lighting at night is simple, too: Strings of bistro lights twinkle over the garden like stars.

— marty ross, kansascity, "Pop-up gardens burst with ideas for a backyard vacation," 19 Aug. 2017
THE VIBE IS: Los Angeles light-and-airy, with twinkling lights from the ceiling, specials on the chalkboard, and fiddle-leaf fig trees crowding the corners.

— bon appétit, Bon Appetit, "P.Y.T.," 1 Aug. 2017
Pines and hardwoods line the trail, which is dotted by twinkling lakes.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin’s Northwoods abound in lakes, trees and that special 'up north' feeling," 27 July 2017
From the muddy delta of the Indus to the barren Baloch coast, a twinkling constellation of attractions is set to rise: luxury hotels, water parks, golf courses, health spas, yacht harbours, night clubs, the works.

— The Economist, "One Lifebelt, One RoadChina makes Pakistan an offer it cannot refuse," 22 July 2017
The listing in Atlanta, Georgia, actually consists of three separate rooms connected by rope bridges, features antique furniture, parachute sheets, and twinkling lights.

— melissa minton, CNT, "Airbnb's Most Popular Listing Is a Treehouse," 19 July 2017
Here's your chance to do so as Heights Arts' guests will be treated to 360-degree views of the city's twinkling skyline while enjoying signature creations by some of northeast Ohio's most celebrated pastry chefs, bakers and chocolatiers.

— jeff piorkowski/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "A Heights Arts benefit honoring Steve Presser; the Cain Park Arts Festival is coming; more: Press Run," 30 June 2017
But Malkki and the orchestra successfully conveyed the work's intense drive as well as personal, uneasily twinkling calm.

— alan g. artner, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Susanna Malkki, Branford Marsalis lead CSO in a program with pop," 16 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'twinkle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of twinkle

Middle English, from Old English twinclian; akin to Middle High German zwinken to blink

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

twinkle Synonyms

Synonyms

flash, blink, wink

Related Words

coruscate, flare, flicker, glance, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, scintillate, shimmer, spangle, spark, sparkle

twinkle

noun

Definition of twinkle

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

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adjective

See twinkle defined for English-language learners

Examples of twinkle in a Sentence

We saw the twinkle of a candle in the window.
in just a twinkle, the shooting star was gone

Recent Examples of twinkle from the Web

Mahrez's twinkle toes opened up space in the penalty area for a shot and, after the winger's effort was parried by Seagulls goalkeeper Matt Ryan, Okazaki was on hand to stab home the rebound from close range.

— SI.com, "Leicester City 2-0 Brighton: Foxes Down Seagulls in Routine Win at King Power Stadium," 19 Aug. 2017
Behind that twinkle in Bud Wright’s eye, there is pain.

— kyle neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: The forks in the road that led Bud Wright to a legendary coaching career," 13 Aug. 2017
There’s a jauntiness to Newman’s stride in these songs, a mischievous twinkle in his sing-speak drawl that suggests an amalgam of Mose Allison, Allen Toussaint and bemused Mad magazine cover boy Alfred E. Neuman.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Randy Newman still has much to say," 4 Aug. 2017
As our other halves resort to swearing because Side A will simply not say hello to Fold B, Michael looks at me and my son and raises his glass with a twinkle.

— hugh bonneville, Time, "Hugh Bonneville: My Afternoon with Michael Bond Worthy of a Paddington Tale," 3 July 2017
Mercury glass pendant lights create a cracked texture with browns and golds, which twinkle and reflect light around the kitchen.

— madeleine winer, The Courier-Journal, "Nautical flair is all in the details at Fern Creek home," 29 June 2017
There’s an evil twinkle in her eye that is super prominent — one that is definitely out of character.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, ""Pretty Little Liars" Finale Recap: "A.D." Is Revealed," 28 June 2017
Asked if anything changes now that Trump is president, Putin, with a twinkle in his eye, says nothing does.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "Natural Born Buddies: The Shared Ideology of Oliver Stone and Vladimir Putin," 21 June 2017
At a time when brick-and-mortar stores were barely a twinkle in Bezos' eye, Amazon filed a patent that would have put the company in a good legal position to stymie retailers' attempts to create a system that would keep customers offline.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "Amazon Patent Would Block Comparison Shopping In Stores," 17 June 2017

First Known Use of twinkle

1548

twinkle Synonyms

Synonyms

beat, eyeblink, flash, heartbeat, jiff, jiffy, minute, moment, nanosecond, New York minute, second, shake, split second, trice, instant, twinkling, wink

Related Words

microsecond; snatch, spurt

Near Antonyms

aeon (or eon), age, eternity, forever; infinity, lifetime

TWINKLE Defined for Kids

twinkle

play

verb twin·kle \ ˈtwiŋ-kəl \

Definition of twinkle for Students

twinkled; twinkling

1 :to shine or cause to shine with a flickering or sparkling light

Stars twinkle in the sky.

2 :to appear bright with amusement

His eyes twinkled at the joke.

3 :to move or flutter rapidly

twinkle

noun

Definition of twinkle for Students

1 :²sparkle 1, flicker

2 :a very short time

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See words that rhyme with twinkle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for twinkle Spanish Central: Translation of twinkle Nglish: Translation of twinkle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of twinkle for Arabic speakers

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twinkle

Definition of twinkle

twinkler

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twinkle

Definition of twinkle

twinkly

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twinkle

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