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
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Recent Examples of blinked
The emails show how easily some digital media figures and companies were taken advantage of; publications that were publishing hundreds of articles a day hardly blinked when a positive article about a financier showed up, or a serious-sounding foundation official asked for an image tweak.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
By 2025, those places blinked out like starlight.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
The Horns blinked for four minutes.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Jan. 2026
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
Never blinked, never had any doubts and 1000% believed from the beginning.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
By 2025, those places blinked out like starlight.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
The Horns blinked for four minutes.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Jan. 2026
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
Never blinked, never had any doubts and 1000% believed from the beginning.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blinked
Verb
-
Coakley’s eyes twinkled with a sense of pride.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
-
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
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
-
That was under former chairman Jeff Shi, who departed the club at the end of 2025 as decision-makers at owner Fosun succumbed to mounting pressure.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Many white residents in East Flatbush had succumbed to racist fearmongering by real-estate speculators and sold their home for a fraction of the assessed value; the speculators sold those homes to Black buyers at exorbitant interest rates.—
Michael Powell,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The two men, in their respective corners, stared each other down.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Both stared in my direction, looking surprised at the chance for free food out here.—
David Zeug,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Candlelight flickered against vibrant tanzanite, sky blue topaz and canary yellow diamonds on Tuesday night at Sunset Tower Hotel, where Pomellato gathered brand ambassadors and celebrity stylists to mark the reopening of its Beverly Hills flagship, unveiled in October.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Officers captured the scene using a drone, which showed the man balancing on the unicycle as flames flickered just feet from passing vehicles.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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
-
The invitation never came, and Zelensky conceded in our interview that basic questions related to the document remain unresolved.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Malinowski conceded the congressional special election primary to progressive activist Analilia Mejia on Tuesday after Mejia notched 889 votes more than Malinowski in her comeback win.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Dreher led me to a spot at the center of the nave and gazed down.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Betts gazed back with angst, momentarily annoyed with her coach.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blinked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinked. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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