blinked

Definition of blinkednext
past tense of blink
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

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2
as in squinted
to rapidly open and close one's eyes I blinked for a few seconds after the camera flashed

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4

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 Talarico blinked and widened his eyes, gauging the room. Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026 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 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
  • Harrington and Shan were pronounced dead at the scene while Pederson succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
    Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Attempts to resuscitate the girl were made and she was taken to the hospital but succumbed to her wounds.
    CBS News, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But now students really stared.
    Deanna Kizis, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
  • One morning this fall, on a stubbly brown field in Boulder, a glider pilot named Dan Swenson stared up at the sky and shook his head.
    Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 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
  • Sartorial outerwear crafted from archival fabrics mingled with pieces that winked to utility and workwear, with a few styles looking to balance these two souls in a single design, such as double wool hooded capes and coats.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Stayton then reportedly winked and told the protester they'd be charged with a felony.
    Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • And Payton conceded that Denver can’t count on duplicating the 12-2 record in one-score games the Broncos achieved last season.
    Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The Penguins have a +32 scoring differential, with 204 total goals scored and 172 conceded.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The man gazed at Wilkes, whose expression went from exasperation to shock.
    James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The Too Much actress gazed at the camera while sitting on a velvet couch, her white bathrobe strategically arranged to add some subtle coverage to the intimate photo.
    Lara Walsh, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blinked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinked. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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