1
as in twinkled
to shine with light at regular intervals
she loves to sit in the dark and watch the lights on the Christmas tree blink in ever-changing patterns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
3
as in succumbed
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
for two days the nations stood on the brink of war, until one finally blinked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stared
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
stood blinking at the ridiculous scene before him in utter disbelief
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of blinked
Furbys — fuzzy creatures that blinked their large eyes and talked — came along in the ’90s, when digital pets, Tamagotchi, also were all the rage.
—
Queenie Wong, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Paddington sauntered onstage and blinked.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
At the last moment, Paramount blinked and let the rights lapse.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
Growth usually solves all for Wall Street and Lululemon and McDonald earned the benefit of the doubt from investors, who hardly blinked when the company’s $500 million pandemic-era deal to buy Mirror, an in-home fitness company, went south.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 11 Dec. 2025
These are the artists whose ticket links blinked out almost immediately — a measure not just of fame, but of cultural velocity.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Dec. 2025
Some were clad in neon string lights that blinked to an unknown beat.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Nov. 2025
Never blinked, never had any doubts and 1000% believed from the beginning.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
After dinner, the lights dimmed and a screen blinked on.
—Nick Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Queenie Wong, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Paddington sauntered onstage and blinked.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
At the last moment, Paramount blinked and let the rights lapse.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
Growth usually solves all for Wall Street and Lululemon and McDonald earned the benefit of the doubt from investors, who hardly blinked when the company’s $500 million pandemic-era deal to buy Mirror, an in-home fitness company, went south.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 11 Dec. 2025
These are the artists whose ticket links blinked out almost immediately — a measure not just of fame, but of cultural velocity.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Dec. 2025
Some were clad in neon string lights that blinked to an unknown beat.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Nov. 2025
Never blinked, never had any doubts and 1000% believed from the beginning.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
After dinner, the lights dimmed and a screen blinked on.
—Nick Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blinked
Verb
-
For his 2024 display, more than 900,000 lights twinkled and glowed around his property, so expect many more this season.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Nov. 2025
-
The ice twinkled with the light of the sun, which shone 24 hours a day at that time of year.—
NPR,
NPR,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Giles cranked the boat back around, leaned out from behind the steering wheel and squinted past a bright glare on the water.—
Kelso Harper,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Amid the eucalyptus groves at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, local bug enthusiast Sasha Hernandez squinted through the draping green leaves, searching for flashes of black and orange — the wings of migratory monarch butterflies traveling from west of the Rocky Mountains.—
Olivia Maule,
Mercury News,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Done in by Immanuel Quickley burying a 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Hornets succumbed to the Toronto Raptors 97-96 at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Trim away any roots that have succumbed to root rot.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The horses in the fear group touched the novel object less often and stared at it from a distance more than their peers did.—
Marta Hill,
Scientific American,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Freeman stared at the video screen with his mouth open.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
By early Sunday afternoon, power was restored to parts of the Richmond District, drawing cheers from residents when lights flickered back on.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Stayton then reportedly winked and told the protester they'd be charged with a felony.—
Jolene Almendarez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But under questioning from Cruz, Vladeck conceded that approving a nondisclosure order without any factual proffer would be inconsistent with a judge’s oath, if that hypothetical were true.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Some peers, smart ones, have conceded the death of this tradition.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The pair—who’ve been married since 2018—held hands and gazed at each other, and the Love Again star was photographed adjusting her husband’s black bow tie and putting her hand on his chest.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Countless people around the world have unknowingly gazed into a fourth-floor room of the former Jefferson Hotel in Phoenix.—
Douglas C. Towne,
AZCentral.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blinked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinked. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
