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 collapse of water security in Iran has been decades in the making and is rooted in a mania for megaprojects—dam building, deep wells, and water transfer schemes—that ignored the fundamentals of hydrology and ecological balance.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025 -
Pierre LeBrun’s viewpoint Arpon, no doubt the Hughes contract injects a fresh comparable into the discussion that neither the Canadiens nor the Hutson camp can ignore, though using comparables always seems to be in the eye of the beholder.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds look a lot like the 2022-era Liberty 4, and while there are tweaks here and there, you'd be forgiven for confusing the two.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
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For those who spend hours at a standing desk, your knees and feet may not forgive you.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At times, the officials handing out honors have been willing to overlook some bad behavior undertaken in the campaign against Castro.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Photos show the couple posing on a balcony that overlooked the city lights.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Reliever Luke Weaver melted down again, and then seemed lost trying to explain it postgame.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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In the show, Gein strikes Henry with a piece of wood, then drags his body into the woods and stages a brush fire to explain Henry's death.—
JR Radcliffe,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On September 24, Judge Smith permanently enjoined DHS from enforcing broad new immigration compliance conditions on a wide range of preparedness grants, ruling the agency had exceeded its statutory authority and failed to justify departing from longstanding grant practices.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Among customers and in financial markets, skepticism is rising as some question whether the massive investment in AI will ever be justified by revenues.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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