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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wink (at)
Verb
-
The closet is probably the easiest room to ignore when things get disorganized.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026 -
Dell is finally good at something—but as her behavior becomes riskier and a shadowy troll threatens to expose her dark past, Dell must reckon with what her digital life ignores, and what real redemption means.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But with performances like this, he could be forgiven for allowing his thoughts to drift briefly towards the summer in North America.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
This is a powerful time to release emotional baggage and forgive yourself for past choices.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
However, don't overlook the kitchen and laundry room, which can also be prone to soap scum.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The ranch overlooks the 5,000-acre Ramona Grasslands Nature Preserve, which is under the stewardship of San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Larger population and better pay helps explain why taxable retail sales were $155 billion in West California in the second quarter, nearly double the $80 billion spent in East California.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
-
During the public comment period, Crisoforo Gomez, organizer with the San Diego and Imperial County Labor Council, explained that concern.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry in early October cleared Rodarte and Trumm of potential wrongdoing, deeming their gunfire in response to Oliver as justified self-defense.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Some of Ross’s actions could be legally justified, Ramsey noted.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Wink (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wink%20%28at%29. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
