as in glancing
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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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of winking
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
The scents come in glass bottles with a retro appeal and details winking to the house’s couture tradition, such as the metal logo intertwining with a safety pin and a vintage-looking pear pump sprayer adorned with the fabrics of the ateliers.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
Jim tests positive and, much to his horror, sees his abs winking out of existence one by one.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
Two guys at the golf course are winking, and whispering, and tipping each other off.
—Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 17 May 2026
But the setting isn’t, say, a fairy tale village or a mermaid kingdom under the sea, to point at two Disney classics the film gives winking reference to.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
Wilson’s approach to public life clearly has an element of what professional wrestlers call kayfabe—the winking, performative trollishness that now characterizes the online right.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Now media companies are winking more at feet.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 May 2026
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
Verb
The novel’s omniscient narrator can barely conceal their exasperation, relaying key details like place and time with a winking mix of hostility and resignation.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
The scents come in glass bottles with a retro appeal and details winking to the house’s couture tradition, such as the metal logo intertwining with a safety pin and a vintage-looking pear pump sprayer adorned with the fabrics of the ateliers.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
Jim tests positive and, much to his horror, sees his abs winking out of existence one by one.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
Two guys at the golf course are winking, and whispering, and tipping each other off.
—Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 17 May 2026
But the setting isn’t, say, a fairy tale village or a mermaid kingdom under the sea, to point at two Disney classics the film gives winking reference to.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
Wilson’s approach to public life clearly has an element of what professional wrestlers call kayfabe—the winking, performative trollishness that now characterizes the online right.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Now media companies are winking more at feet.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 May 2026
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
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
-
Tuesday afternoon in the blazing heat, Semien emerged from the visitors’ clubhouse holding a bat and ready for BP, squinting his eyes to try to find Toboni across the field near the home dugout.—
Barry Svrluga,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
On a street by the harbor, crowds of people were squinting into the distance, exclaiming every time the whale exhaled.—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Each year, the plaza at Lincoln Center goes through a vernal transformation, its formal granite parterre converted to a busy dance floor with twinkling lights, part of the center’s Summer for the City programming.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 May 2026
-
The titular town is a serene speck of a place in the west of Japan, near a mountain also called Nagi, a beautiful but raggedy landscape that patchworks swathes of virgin forest, farmed fields and twinkling solar panels.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The diamond-on-ear piece can be matched with a diamond drop below the lobe, or toned down with a gleaming gold drop below the ear.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
The coaster with a max speed of 66 mph took more than 20,000 hours to construct and at least 9,000 gallons of white paint for its gleaming appearance.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Most technology investments solve the first problem while entirely ignoring the second.—
Aaron Levine,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
But when Spurs are trailing, Romero often abandons his defensive position and goes hunting for the ball, seemingly ignoring tactical instructions.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 May 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 horizon is scattered with tall wind turbines, crowned with blinking red lights visible from miles away in the nighttime sky.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
-
Special features All interactive Fingerlings have a core set of responses such as blinking, sleeping and tooting.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s no better time to swap scary stories than when the wind is howling and candles are flickering.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
-
Lightning flickering near Wichita, Kansas, lit up the night sky on May 5, 2026, in a display powerful enough to be seen from low Earth orbit.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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