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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winking (at)
Verb
-
Prosecutors accused the trust, which convinced a federal district judge to order a temporary pause in construction, of ignoring claims that the project is needed to bolster national security.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026 -
But three days after withdrawing the lawsuit, Florida sued CMS for a third time, accusing the federal agency of ignoring the state’s public records request related to CMS’ approval of the KidCare expansion.—
Daniel Chang,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully Pal was forgiving, and didn’t hold a grudge for poor riding.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Polyester is a more low-maintenance, forgiving fabric.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hough included another video in which she was seen taking a ice bath on a wooden deck overlooking lush tropical greenery.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
In the outdoor rooftop setting overlooking the beaches and mountains, local breathwork specialist Gustavo took me on a restorative vinyasa journey.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The homeowner, Thania Magana, said flight data showed a plane passing over her neighborhood at the time, according to Hahn.—
Daniel S. Levine,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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At the time of liftoff, the ISS — currently home to the seven-member Expedition 74 crew — was passing over the northern Pacific Ocean, too far away for the astronauts to see the launch directly.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gianni Infantino tried to defend FIFA’s World Cup ticket prices by explaining American sports to Americans.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Berry later apologized by email to Crocker, Cal-OSHA’s Sacramento District Manager, explaining that an arson and bomb investigator for Cal Fire, Gershom Slonim, had told Voller not to grant the interview.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
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This suggests that Amodei believed Anthropic had more leverage on the Pentagon than the Pentagon had on it — the CEO of a company founded just five years ago shrugging off a threat from the world’s most powerful and best-funded entity.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Europeans are shrugging off these comments, if not ignoring them entirely.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The improvement between Gemini 2 and Gemini 3 may be papering over a more serious flaw.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
8 Apr. 2026
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Yet the money manager remains hopeful that fiscal stimulus — more government spending coupled with consumer and business tax breaks — from last year's One Big Beautiful Bill will start to take effect in a few months, papering over any nascent economic weakness.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
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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 9 May. 2026.
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