twinkle

verb twin·kle \ ˈtwiŋ-kəl \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: twinkle in a Sentence

Definition of twinkle

twinkled; twinkling play \ˈtwiŋ-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 \ˈtwiŋ-k(ə-)lər\ noun

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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

Albert’s struggle to conquer his speech impediment is the subject of this Oscar-winning film from Tom Hooper, and his often-raucous sessions with an unconventional speech therapist (a twinkling performance by Geoffrey Rush) give the movie its heart.

— jennifer vineyard, New York Times, "The Best TV Shows and Movies New to Netflix, Amazon and More in June," 1 June 2018
This cancels out Earth’s roiling air, de-twinkling the night sky to achieve higher resolution.

— joshua sokol, WIRED, "These Spinning Disks of Gas and Dust Reveal How Planets Get Made," 28 May 2018
But only a fool could look at those eyes twinkling, and not see the strong woman behind the face, a woman who spent her life in politics, and who could probably cut out your heart with a butter knife to protect her family or her country.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "Barbara Bush, a great lady of a lost age," 18 Apr. 2018
Just imagine it for a moment: the sound of the crackling fire, the sight of snow flurries waltzing behind the window, the taste of warm eggnog, and the coziness of your family sitting beside you at the twinkling tree.

— diana bruk, Country Living, "You Can Now Stay Overnight in the 'Christmas Story' House," 8 Dec. 2017
Once they were seated inside for Women in Motion’s annual candlelit gala—with windows overlooking the twinkling town and port—thunder cracked, and the downpour began.

— julie miller, HWD, "Kristen Stewart and Cate Blanchett Celebrate Patty Jenkins as Storm Rages at Cannes," 14 May 2018
Over 1 billion stars twinkled in those first images, which included detailed data on 2 million of the stars.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "New Star Map Could Change Everything We Know About the Milky Way," 25 Apr. 2018
The 105-year-old property makes a good first impression between the gleaming marble, twinkling chandeliers, and fresh flowers, which are never not fresh thanks to the on-site florist employed to tend to arrangements around the clock.

— natalie b. compton, GQ, "The Best Way to Do Paris Is the Old Fashioned Way," 3 Apr. 2018
The Village, draped in twinkling lights and decorated with muraled walls of Tuscan scenery, is a lot to take in, but a Chicago atmosphere worth experiencing all the same.

— gwendolyn purdom, RedEye Chicago, "Chicago date idea: The American Writers Museum then dinner at Italian Village," 16 Mar. 2018

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.