as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance
for too long the school just winked at the young athletes' hooliganism, dismissing it as a case of "boys being boys"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wink (at)
Verb
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The same is true of Guiteau’s eventual imprisonment and trial, which aren’t ignored but barely touch on the wackiness that actually ensued.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025 -
There were extremely rich philosophical traditions in the non-Western world that your great books classes completely ignore.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Still, some of these foibles are easier to forgive when seen in service of the greater good.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
5 Jan. 2026
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Reading the media these days, you would be forgiven for thinking the technology, journalism, and investment communities were inadvertently wishing an AI ‘bubble’ into existence.—
Oscar Täckström,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Under pressure to fill vacancies quickly, agencies often rush background checks, shorten psychological screenings, and overlook red flags that would normally disqualify candidates.—
Karl W. Bickel,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
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With multilingual capabilities in over 50 languages, the robots eliminate language barriers that can slow service and leave guests feeling overlooked.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since proper vesicle recycling is crucial for brain communication, this mechanism could explain why patients experience diverse symptoms – from movement problems to memory loss – depending on which brain regions are affected first.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
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Speaking on The Allison Hagendorf Show, Perry, the lead singer, explained just how the stars aligned for 4 Non Blondes to take the stage together once again.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Critics also question whether demand will continue to grow at a fast enough pace to justify the investment.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Some investors are also skeptical whether future profit growth will continue to justify the enormous amounts of spending taking place.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wink (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wink%20%28at%29. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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