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
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
Mesh styles made a return in pointy-toe kitten-heel pumps in neutral colors while the Babouche design was reinterpreted in a python print or black satin that winked also to comfy red carpet moments.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 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
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
Mesh styles made a return in pointy-toe kitten-heel pumps in neutral colors while the Babouche design was reinterpreted in a python print or black satin that winked also to comfy red carpet moments.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 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
-
The Horns blinked for four minutes.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Furbys — fuzzy creatures that blinked their large eyes and talked — came along in the ’90s, when digital pets, Tamagotchi, also were all the rage.—
Queenie Wong,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For his 2024 display, more than 900,000 lights twinkled and glowed around his property, so expect many more this season.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Nov. 2025
-
The ice twinkled with the light of the sun, which shone 24 hours a day at that time of year.—
NPR,
NPR,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
The china gleamed, the Waterford sparkled, and the silver was polished.—
Peter Folan,
Boston Herald,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
People's Liberation Army troops under Mao's control either ignored the violence or offered support to the insurrectionists while the country descended into lawlessness and retribution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Its 40 mph speed limit is largely ignored, as are no left turn signs.—
Carolyn Gusoff,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Amid the eucalyptus groves at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, local bug enthusiast Sasha Hernandez squinted through the draping green leaves, searching for flashes of black and orange — the wings of migratory monarch butterflies traveling from west of the Rocky Mountains.—
Olivia Maule,
Mercury News,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
As a rookie in 2024, Coleman flashed star potential at times, catching 29 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This stretch has been far from perfect, but Jakucionis has also flashed his intriguing potential as a playmaking guard who also has opened eyes with his hustle, improved three-point shooting and physicality on both ends of the court.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Chalk dust glinted like pollen or asbestos in the sunshine coming through the window.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In reality, whatever magic had briefly flickered tended to vanish just as quickly.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winked. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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