wink at

phrasal verb

winked at; winking at; winks at
: to pretend not to have seen or noticed (something) : to ignore
The city cops wink at the mayor's parking violations.

Examples of wink at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Passepartout is also a wink at a long-running Italian television series in the early 2000s hosted by art historian Philippe Daverio, which made discovering and decrypting art very entertaining. Miles Socha, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025 With this cinematic trick, Schnabel seems to be winking at us a bit, allowing the suspension of belief in the name of art. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025 Sprinkling ‘70s-style ceramics on the plaster fireplace winked at the past with zero regret. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2025 What works best are the moments of humor, particularly those that seem to wink at Dafoe’s own eccentricities. Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wink at

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wink at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wink%20at. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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!