1
2
3
as in gleamed
to shoot forth bursts of light
fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in ignored
to secretly sympathize with or pretend ignorance of something improper or unlawful
the whole sporting world seems to wink as untold sums are bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of winked
Sartorial outerwear crafted from archival fabrics mingled with pieces that winked to utility and workwear, with a few styles looking to balance these two souls in a single design, such as double wool hooded capes and coats.
—
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
Stayton then reportedly winked and told the protester they'd be charged with a felony.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The last ember of Rope A winked out.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
With both drugs, the alignment of brain waves shifted in similar ways as the animals’ consciousness waned and then winked out.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
Stayton then reportedly winked and told the protester they'd be charged with a felony.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The last ember of Rope A winked out.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
With both drugs, the alignment of brain waves shifted in similar ways as the animals’ consciousness waned and then winked out.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winked
Verb
-
In the back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Lakers blinked first as Doncic missed a go-ahead jumper with 12 seconds left.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Venezuela, though, never blinked.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Animated pixie dust twinkled on the screen, courtesy of the fairy, Tinker Bell.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Coakley’s eyes twinkled with a sense of pride.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For a long time, the property gleamed in the daylight with its white, ornate facade against lush green landscaping and often at night, as well, with twinkling holiday lights attached to almost every surface.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
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Another video shows Archie, 6, feeding a rhinoceros at the zoo while his red hair gleamed in the sunlight.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Concerns raised by witnesses An external investigation found no evidence that district employees knew of or ignored prior misconduct, though parents and lawmakers have questioned the district's oversight.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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To be clear, Peacock (which, like Sky, is part of Comcast) hardly ignored SNL UK prior to its launch.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dressed in periwinkle, Annie took off her shoes in front of the sunflowers, sat down, squinted into the sunlight and smiled.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Giles cranked the boat back around, leaned out from behind the steering wheel and squinted past a bright glare on the water.—
Kelso Harper,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
While Judge and Stanton exhibited premium power, Schlittler flashed premium stuff.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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But Ware has had an up and down second NBA season that has flashed his intriguing potential as a three-and-D 7-footer at times and also has had Spoelstra publicly calling him out and challenging him other times.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Beaded coats glinted with star-chart embroidery.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
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In 2023, astronomers reported that some of these satellites were already photobombing images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, as sunlight glinted off their surfaces leaving bright trails that erase, obscure or mimic genuine cosmic signals.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Delicate little needles in the windows that flickered up and then sifted back down.—
Caleb Crain,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The dots flickered and subsided, only to reappear again in greater numbers and with growing intensity.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winked. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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