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
Relevance
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
as in succumbing
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 staring
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 blinking
Fascism lives in the upside-down; professional gaslighting features heavily amongst its weaponry, along with the blinking philistinism of the soulless.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026
Cleveland Clinic recommends being intentional about blinking as a first step.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
Physical tics can be as subtle as eye blinking, or involve jerking the arms, or stretching the neck.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
The horizon is scattered with tall wind turbines, crowned with blinking red lights visible from miles away in the nighttime sky.
—Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Special features All interactive Fingerlings have a core set of responses such as blinking, sleeping and tooting.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Sneezing forcefully expels mucus and airborne debris; reflexive blinking may help shield the eyes from contaminants moving upward across the face.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The only things brighter than Dylan Groenewegen’s pink and blue sleeves are the blinking camera lights around him, all videographers belonging to his Unibet Rose Rockets team.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Several cars, some with hazard lights blinking, appeared to have been picked up by the storm.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026
Cleveland Clinic recommends being intentional about blinking as a first step.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
Physical tics can be as subtle as eye blinking, or involve jerking the arms, or stretching the neck.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
The horizon is scattered with tall wind turbines, crowned with blinking red lights visible from miles away in the nighttime sky.
—Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Special features All interactive Fingerlings have a core set of responses such as blinking, sleeping and tooting.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Sneezing forcefully expels mucus and airborne debris; reflexive blinking may help shield the eyes from contaminants moving upward across the face.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The only things brighter than Dylan Groenewegen’s pink and blue sleeves are the blinking camera lights around him, all videographers belonging to his Unibet Rose Rockets team.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Several cars, some with hazard lights blinking, appeared to have been picked up by the storm.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blinking
Verb
-
With their tiny, twinkling lights, fireflies are icons of a Georgia summer night.—
Charles Seabrook,
AJC.com,
6 June 2026
-
The Danish band’s newfound brightness is apparent from the start, as the album opens with twinkling glockespiel.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
And though the wave is turning, Ahn is already squinting at the horizon for the next one.—
Joshua Encinias,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
-
Tuesday afternoon in the blazing heat, Semien emerged from the visitors’ clubhouse holding a bat and ready for BP, squinting his eyes to try to find Toboni across the field near the home dugout.—
Barry Svrluga,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
The Spurs got off just three field goal attempts while succumbing to the Knicks’ defensive pressure.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
Avoid succumbing to a conspiracy theory or problematic spiritual philosophy as Mercury and Neptune square off.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Beijing — When US and Israeli bombs first began falling on Iran at the end of February, China’s leaders were staring at the very real possibility of another friendly regime being decapitated, much like had happened with Venezuela only weeks before.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
Yesterday, Barack Obama stood in the nearly same spot, now as a former president, staring up at a monument in his name.—
Josh Feldman,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The officers, wearing reflective vests, were outside their patrol cars, which were set in place with flashing lights to detour motorists, police said.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
-
Moments later, the alarm began flashing, Caceres said.—
Madisen Keavy,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Chiarella felt the onscreen passion between Bird and Clausen early on, when the pair was just submitting self-tapes.—
William Earl,
Variety,
19 June 2026
-
This data collection is required before submitting a construction permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Yoon’s wife is gazing at a small, framed photo on the cabinet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The star was photographed cozying up to Consuelos on the red carpet, laughing at their private conversation, and gazing at him.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Our favourite was the coco margarita, best consumed while sitting outdoors beneath stars and watching the flickering lights of nearby Nusa Penida and Lombok on the horizon.—
Arion McNicoll,
TheWeek,
15 June 2026
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In line with the science of his time, which said that lunar craters were volcanic, Verne ascribes his flickering light to an eruption.—
Neil Oseman,
Space.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinking. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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