wink

1 of 2

verb

winked; winking; winks

intransitive verb

1
: to shut one eye briefly as a signal or in teasing
2
: to close and open the eyelids quickly
3
: to avoid seeing or noting something
usually used with at
4
: to gleam or flash intermittently : twinkle
her glasses winking in the sunlightHarper Lee
5
a
: to come to an end
usually used with out
b
: to stop shining
usually used with out
6
: to signal a message with a light

transitive verb

1
: to cause to open and shut
2
: to affect or influence by or as if by blinking the eyes

wink

2 of 2

noun

1
: a brief period of sleep : nap
catching a wink
2
a
: a hint or sign given by winking
b
: an act of winking
3
: the time of a wink : instant
quick as a wink
4
: a flicker of the eyelids : blink

Examples of wink in a Sentence

Verb He winked and said that he understood. She winked at me as she asked what I was doing tonight. She winked an eye at me. The puppy was winking in the bright sun. The stars winked in the night sky. The airplane's landing lights winked on and off. Noun Her wink told me she was just kidding. “I knew you could do it,” he said with a wink.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
For a nasty cut, Lopez is in good spirits, now laughing and winking with the nurses. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Ever After benefits from cinematography, set design, and a cast that winks only when absolutely necessary (plus extra brownie points for being blessedly uncomplicated). Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Because there's absolutely nothing like waking up to a fresh day, pulling your curtains wide, and seeing the glistening ocean winking back at you. Kara Franker, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2024 Bar-Tal and co use the famous Vermeer painting Girl with a Pearl Earring and make Lumiere animate it to show the girl winking and smiling. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024 Expect raunchy satire and winking fun-poking at heterosexuality. Kellina Moore, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023 Where Ella Fitzgerald quivered her voice with a little hope on her rendition and Willie Nelson went full country funk with his, winking his way through every line, Del Rey sounds restrained and distant, as if the blue skies are those of a horizon far away. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024 Sussman perfectly balances her winking pop culture references with a swoony romance and an interrogation of mid-2000s tabloid culture. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023 Sony’s headphones look nicer, too, with a clean design (available in black, silver, white or blue) that looks current but winks appealingly to the ’70s. Geoffrey Morrison, wsj.com, 2 Nov. 2023
Noun
But just as modesty seemed to be getting the upper hand, the bottom edge veered north and slyly arched over the cheeks – coy as a wink. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 No | Good For: Pet fur, hair, crumbs, dirt How It's Held Up After six months, the quality has not changed a wink. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 These little winks and nods about Chicago and her past and the people that she’s worked with are just that, for the moment. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024 If that eliminates your butt wink, then restricted ankle dorsiflexion is the likely culprit, Dr. Pagliano says. Christa Sgobba, SELF, 22 Feb. 2024 Athill could talk about death with a wink in one blue eye and steadiness in the other. Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024 But after the dust settled, in their place came winks from another 6-foot-plus figure from my past, another ghost: Turtles, Pokémon and license plates with my brother’s name, JJ. Jessica Amento, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Projection designer Daniel Brodie conjures enchantment with an impish wink, but visually the show is nothing to look at. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 So, sometimes a smile and a wink will just have to do. Lee Cowan, CBS News, 26 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wink.' 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 wincian; akin to Old High German winchan to stagger, wink and perhaps to Latin vacillare to sway, Sanskrit vañcati he goes crookedly

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wink was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wink

Cite this Entry

“Wink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wink. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wink

1 of 2 verb
1
: to close and open one eye quickly as a signal or hint
saw her friend wink and knew it was time to go
2
: to close and open the eyes quickly : blink
3
: to avoid seeing or noting something
wink at a parking violation
4
: to gleam or shine on and off : twinkle

wink

2 of 2 noun
1
: a brief period of sleep : nap
catching a wink
2
a
: a hint or sign given by winking
b
: an act of winking
3
: the time of a wink : instant
quick as a wink she did the job

Medical Definition

wink

1 of 2 intransitive verb
: to close and open the eyelids quickly

wink

2 of 2 noun
: a quick closing and opening of the eyelids : blink

More from Merriam-Webster on wink

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