as in glancing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in squinting
to rapidly open and close one's eyes
she winked several times to get the dust and grit out of her eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in twinkling
to shine with light at regular intervals
a lighthouse was winking in the distance
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in gleaming
to shoot forth bursts of light
fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in ignoring
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
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.
Recent Examples of winking
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The same girls who’d posted winking pop-culture-reference couples Halloween costumes a few years ago were now posting their toddlers in their own pop-culture-reference costumes.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
Made in the earnest style of a disease-of-the-week television movie without ever tipping over into winking irony, the film is both funny and tender.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The installation is a winking reference to the Turing test, the 1950 thought experiment about whether a machine can credibly imitate a person.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The Belgian was a throwback in the most charming sense; a grinning, winking, slaloming magician who could earn the undying trust of even the most collectivist coach.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Its only fault, really, is the winking, ironic tone the narration (spoken by Liev Schreiber) sometimes takes, as if the sport isn't quite worth the trouble the film is going through.
—Robert Lloyd, Houston Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
But these moments are lights winking in a vast and enveloping mist.
—Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
With plenty of palace intrigue and a winking Favourite-esque sense of humor, The Serpent Queen is far from a stuffy costume drama.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
Carlock and Means are masters at fourth-wall-breaking structure and winking, metatextual dialogue, and their ability to balance the goofiness of the series’ diversions with its straightforwardly heartwarming main narrative made each episode a breezy watch.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The same girls who’d posted winking pop-culture-reference couples Halloween costumes a few years ago were now posting their toddlers in their own pop-culture-reference costumes.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
Made in the earnest style of a disease-of-the-week television movie without ever tipping over into winking irony, the film is both funny and tender.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The installation is a winking reference to the Turing test, the 1950 thought experiment about whether a machine can credibly imitate a person.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The Belgian was a throwback in the most charming sense; a grinning, winking, slaloming magician who could earn the undying trust of even the most collectivist coach.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Its only fault, really, is the winking, ironic tone the narration (spoken by Liev Schreiber) sometimes takes, as if the sport isn't quite worth the trouble the film is going through.
—Robert Lloyd, Houston Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
But these moments are lights winking in a vast and enveloping mist.
—Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
With plenty of palace intrigue and a winking Favourite-esque sense of humor, The Serpent Queen is far from a stuffy costume drama.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winking
Adjective
-
Glaser, from a very glancing stylistic consideration, looks like a multicam by comparison.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Aug. 2024
-
Even so, Joonam is too scattershot and distanced from culture and politics to resonate with the news — potentially the film’s greatest draw — in more than a glancing way.—
Caryn James,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2023
Verb
-
The comic spent some minutes zooming in on and squinting at the photo, putting his hand on his head to ascertain the resemblance.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Roughly 65% of the population sleeps on their side, and research shows that habit creates a specific type of facial aging that’s entirely separate from the lines caused by smiling or squinting.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jumeirah is the closest beach to Downtown, and the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa still loom large, best viewed from the rooftop Mercury Lounge, with its Arabian archways framing the twinkling city.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Apr. 2026
-
For our ancestors, that twinkling ball would have been completely dark.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The exercise was meant to drive home the importance of paying attention to real life, not the gleaming little screens that have taken over our world.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
It's only magnified by the gleaming white-stone beach and aquamarine water outside.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pope ignoring atrocities The papal mission appears to have overlooked a visit to Nigeria.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The beats lazily play into aughts pastiche, ignoring the 15 years of mutation that have morphed trap into plugg, rage, drill, and SahBabii.—
Stephen Kearse,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Its primary food source is the winter firefly (Diaphanes lampyroides), which attracts mates with a continuous, non-flashing light.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The lights offer eight modes, including seven blinking options and one steady setting.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Speaking to the interviewer and appearing to be blinded by the bright spotlights, Denton began blinking in a seemingly random manner.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Already, warning signals are flickering in bond markets.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Apartment blocks stand in rows, their windows flickering with fire.—
Babak Rahimi,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
