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

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
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 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 The effects of light pollution on wildlife would doubtless grow if suddenly a million new, blinking satellites were added to our night skies. Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 9 July 2026 There were warning signs blinking about the quality of the defenders for weeks and on Monday those prophecies were fulfilled. Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 6 July 2026 Mounted atop the temporary wall were two sets of traffic lights, a pair of side-by-side green lights (currently off) and a set of red lights, now blinking. Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026 There’s a blinking red light in the top corner of your room, and that’s one of the cameras Ben uses to watch you. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 30 June 2026 If the stoplight is blinking red, stop completely and look both ways before continuing. Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blinking
Verb
  • In December, wreaths and twinkling lights transform the inn into a New England fantasy.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 4 July 2026
  • As the firework began to wane after well over a minute, zigzagging streaks of light spread into a canopy of twinkling flashes that resembled stars.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2026
Verb
  • To help prevent wrinkles from forming around your eyes naturally, Zeichner recommends wearing sunglasses in the sun, as well as regular glasses to prevent squinting.
    Daley Quinn, Glamour, 9 July 2026
  • No more squinting at raw tape and praying for a basketball IQ transplant.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • Petey Halpin almost tagged Jackson for a two-out homer, the ball instead succumbing to gravity near the warning track.
    Zack Meisel, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • The nightmare grows more and more fierce as guests venture through the haunted house, encountering ferocious Deadites around every turn before succumbing to the evil forces themselves.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • But the differences between this and their dreams were staring them in the face.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Bo grinned, staring at the pale-blue walls of the large classroom.
    Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
Verb
  • The flashing sign of the new Arrive Hotel beckons me toward the action.
    Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 July 2026
  • In the 1990s, Tom Ford, during his tenure at Gucci, made the buttocks the center of attention with the help of a visibly flashing thong, while the Y2K trends of the ’00s targeted the midsection and declared crop tops socially acceptable.
    Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
Verb
  • The European Commission adopted the Delegated Act, which updates and simplifies the list of products covered by the EUDR, while the Implementing Act outlines the information system for submitting due diligence statements and simplified declarations.
    Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 16 July 2026
  • One former employee recalled submitting about one complaint to the system per month over the course of about a year.
    Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • In its center sat perched a one-eyed cat, gazing toward the window.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
  • The sequence in the film involving Matt running away from a premiere continues with the character gazing horrified upon his oozing complexion in the reflection of a storefront window.
    Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • Approximately the size of a dining-room table, the canvas has fifteen people distributed along a set of stairs in front of a mosque, all of them flickering with very different kinds of life.
    Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Preclinical work and a feasibility study found that flickering light and sound at 40 Hz for an hour a day had potential to slow cognitive decline and volume loss in parts of the brain critical for memory.
    Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinking. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on blinking

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster