winkles

verb

present tense third-person singular of winkle
as in gleams
to shoot forth bursts of light under a canopy of winkling stars, the campers bedded down for the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for winkles
  1. gleams
  2. flashes
  3. sparkles
  4. shimmers
  5. glitters
  6. glints
Verb
  • Like Beckham’s dress, the 100-percent silk dress softly gleams in the light.
    — Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Despite a couple of funky skips, the album is fueled by the hunger of an artist who really wants the pop life again, perking up electro-scuzz and arena rock with new wave that gleams like glitter.
    — Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
Definition of gleams
Verb
  • Creative endeavor, in the space of a few hours, flashes its many faces, arduous and sexy, fleeting and fun.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • This option from Vantamo flashes a bright light and emits a 130-decibel sound from dual speakers whenever the top pin is pulled, alerting passersby of the emergency and scaring off potential assailants.
    — Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of flashes
Verb
  • The dress sparkles on stage inspiring audience members to ask whether the gown contains LED lights.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Found about 37 million light-years from Earth, this galaxy sparkles in this side-on view.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of sparkles
Verb
  • Yes, the score still shimmers, but not everything that glitters is gold.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • When Waits mentions the burglar alarm that sealed Ceaser’s fate, Duke’s piano shimmers dramatically.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of shimmers
Verb
  • Geena Davis glitters in a red gown at the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony in France on May 23.
    — People Staff, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Definition of glitters
Verb
  • Outside, the rocky surfaces of the gorge’s walls alternate between light and shadow while the river glints in the midday sun.
    — Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Two great blue herons lift off from the water’s edge and coast along a breeze as the sun glints off their wings.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of glints
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.

Browse Nearby Words

winkled
winkles
winkling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Winkles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winkles. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All