as in implying
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as in indicating
to convey an idea indirectly
kept hinting that she wouldn't mind an invitation to spend the weekend at their beach house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hinting
Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Trouble brewing Some analysts are hinting that trouble may be brewing for budget hotels, which are seeing an uptick in foreclosures and bankruptcies.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
Earlier this year, Judge William Orrick praised Mayor Barbara Lee and Interim Police Chief James Beere — who has submitted his name for consideration in the permanent chief search — for department reforms, hinting that Oakland may be nearing the finish line.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Georgia coach Kirby Smart came away pleased with the overall development of his team, even hinting that a few backups pushed previous starters for their jobs.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
All three Afflecks wore tennis shoes, hinting that the actor's kids share his love of designer sneakers.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
New York City police stood by their investigation, hinting that the five had been part of the attack along with Reyes, but in 2002 the convictions were vacated.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
In recent weeks, the Grammy-winning pop star had been cryptically hinting that an album announcement was imminent, including by mysteriously wiping all of the posts from her Instagram account.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The same sneak peek shows Carmody evading her family's questions about when she will get married, hinting that her long engagement will be a focal point of the series.
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Zelenskyy -- who has called for a long-term ceasefire -- had refused to accept Putin’s pause in recent days, hinting that Ukraine might strike the parade.
—Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Trouble brewing Some analysts are hinting that trouble may be brewing for budget hotels, which are seeing an uptick in foreclosures and bankruptcies.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
Earlier this year, Judge William Orrick praised Mayor Barbara Lee and Interim Police Chief James Beere — who has submitted his name for consideration in the permanent chief search — for department reforms, hinting that Oakland may be nearing the finish line.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Georgia coach Kirby Smart came away pleased with the overall development of his team, even hinting that a few backups pushed previous starters for their jobs.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
All three Afflecks wore tennis shoes, hinting that the actor's kids share his love of designer sneakers.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
New York City police stood by their investigation, hinting that the five had been part of the attack along with Reyes, but in 2002 the convictions were vacated.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
In recent weeks, the Grammy-winning pop star had been cryptically hinting that an album announcement was imminent, including by mysteriously wiping all of the posts from her Instagram account.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The same sneak peek shows Carmody evading her family's questions about when she will get married, hinting that her long engagement will be a focal point of the series.
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hinting
Adjective
-
But the headline strikes me as biased, implying justification for this act of terrorism.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
And probably should go home this episode instead of the person the Project Runway editors are heavily implying to be the next contestant out.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The report says investigators found five casings outside the room, indicating this is one place the assailant stopped and reloaded.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Now, in his fourth week checking the hawk’s nest on OC Parks’ land managed by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Gough noticed the color change, indicating the chicks are molting their feathers, doing well, and growing.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
But, in historic gold-rush regions, prospectors use it to identify disturbances in the landscape that are suggestive of former mining operations, in the hope of finding overlooked stores.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
For another example of the interpretive and suggestive quality of verbs, let’s look at Patricia Highsmith’s The Two Faces of January.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit quotes comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggesting that at least some customers were moved to purchase Samsung TVs by the apparent endorsement.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
10 May 2026
-
Reports indicate that significant numbers of voters are only now tuning into the campaign as the June primary election approaches, suggesting the race has struggled to maintain sustained engagement or generate early momentum.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rather than viewing the insinuating and undeniably creepy Gacy as an inherent threat, Macmanus finds the tragedy in the disparate and desperate circumstances amid which Gacy might have represented an illusion of hope.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
-
In the process, the day-to-day nightmare of Dana’s new reality gets lost, even if the more insinuating discomfort of her present-day reality has been enhanced.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
8 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
During a brief appearance in front of the cameras, the pope gave Rubio the symbolic gift of an olive-wood pen.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
-
Once the most powerful jobs in television, evening anchors like Tony Dokoupil now occupy a more symbolic perch.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
The end result is a small but expressive robot version of Rocky that captures much of the personality fans loved in Project Hail Mary.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
8 May 2026
-
A lot of it was kind of reckonings with childhood, really very expressive work.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hinting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hinting. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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