blinking

present participle of blink
1
as in twinkling
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 squinting
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 blinking Songs were deconstructed and reconstructed each night as the pair hunched over their blinking arrays. Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2026 The car’s hazard-warning lights were blinking the whole time. Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026 Soon, dozens of virtual attackers were blinking in and out of existence. Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Nearby, several crocodiles sat without blinking in individual cages filled with greenish water. ABC News, 29 July 2026 Nothing beats the thrill of chasing the blinking bugs in grandma’s backyard in the dark, zooming around with Mason jars in hand. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 July 2026 But while Momsen was opening a concert, AC/DC was presiding over something that felt like a reunion, judging by the sea of black T-shirts, blinking red devil horns and giant cups of beer. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2026 Everyone—blue-collar moms, college students, CEOs—suffers from the distractions of carrying around the pinging, blinking pocket-size casinos that our phones have become. Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 There’s a hundred blinking eyes, proving cities are for lonely deer in headlights. Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blinking
Verb
  • The Hubble Space Telescope captured this twinkling image of NGC 6723, or the Chandelier Cluster, a globular star cluster located 27,000 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy.
    Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Be sure to plan at least one evening on-property to catch the sunset, when the mountains are painted in shades of pink and purple before giving way to a sky filled with twinkling stars.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That would be the largest in league history and bring his career earnings within squinting distance of one billion.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The Internet armchair critics crying foul and other automakers squinting real hard can all stop wondering, questioning, and doubting whether the Ford Mustang GTD Competition achieved the unthinkable on street-legal tires.
    Joel Feder, The Drive, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The researchers said this means that the current controls by AI companies are prone to being disabled by misbehaving AI and at risk of succumbing to a blitz of AI attacks.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • There have been some close calls, with the closest being a 75-74 defeat in Game 2 of last season’s opening round, a game where Golden State held multiple large leads before succumbing late to a Minnesota comeback.
    Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • For you, that could mean fewer moments spent staring at your Messages app waiting for a bank code to arrive.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Auf der Maur, in white, is twisted away from the audience, staring intently at the lens.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The Panthers scored all 26 points in the first half, flashing offensive explosiveness.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Today, consumers are struggling with growing inflation and slowing entry-level hiring, and Jenner is turning from flashing her private jets and multiple mansions to highlighting the flash of rhinestones placed on her everyday goods.
    Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • For Arbaeen, the lights inside the shrine and the flags fluttering from its golden dome are switched to red – the color of vengeance.
    Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Some people feel a racing heartbeat or fluttering in their chest.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The app now allows tipsters to report 46 specific kinds of park problems, instead of just submitting general parks complaints.
    Point Loma-Ob Monthly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Already, thousands of users have downloaded the iPhone app, with some eagerly submitting feedback that has helped improve key functionality, including the ability to detect AI glasses and receive alerts when the app is closed.
    Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Their mornings begin with coffee and toast on the deck, gazing over the village rooftops to the ocean.
    Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Deployed in 2004, the Swift Observatory spent over two decades gazing into some of the universe’s most powerful explosions.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinking. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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