as in ignoring
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 winking (at)
Verb
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The next morning, Federline called his lawyer Mark Kaplan to draft a legal letter demanding that Spears stop breastfeeding their children, and Federline left town to promote his record, ignoring her calls and messages.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025 -
Signs of sass becoming a problem include growling or snapping, guarding objects, ignoring basic commands persistently, or biting and destroying items.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Flat seams eliminate irritation and itching for loose threads, and an elastic waistband and cuffs at the ankles provides a snug fit that’s still forgiving.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
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In my mind, not forgiving somebody only puts up the jail cell kind of around you.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In footage obtained by WRAL News, passengers appear nervous as they remain stranded at the top of the ride, overlooking the rest of the fairground.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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Today, overlooking geopolitical risks would be a serious misstep.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Simply rake fallen leaves from landscape beds into piles and mow over them on your lawn, chopping them into small pieces by passing over them several times.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Oct. 2025
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There were people that were out at the rideshare as bullets were passing over their head.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In explaining the plea agreement, Acosta claimed the case against Epstein was plagued with issues that may hinder a conviction.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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The vendor had already begun explaining her offerings to me in a mix of Spanish and English, but the AirPods drowned out most of her words.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Surprisingly, or perhaps not, WBD is shrugging off the downturn, up a hair to near $18, continuing to be buoyed by takeover talk.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
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The stock market has soared this year, shrugging off a flurry of new tariffs, an uptick of inflation and a sharp slowdown in hiring.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Winking (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking%20%28at%29. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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