1
2
as in minutes
a very small space of time
I turned to look away, and in a wink he was gone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
3
as in gleams
to shoot forth bursts of light
fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in ignores
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
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Recent Examples of winks
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Olivier Rousteing, creative director, Balmain Creative director of Balmain since 2011, Rousteing has revitalized the house with his bold, opulent designs, blending modern glamour with winks to the legacy of founder Pierre Balmain.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
His voice took a few beats to settle, but in the meantime who wouldn’t be captivated by Martin’s joyful skips, knee bends, winks and grins?
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
There are a lot of subtle winks like that in the series, including someone other than Kyle MacLachlan playing a character named Agent Cooper, and even a reference to Hawke’s hilarious, thunderously great performance as John Brown in The Good Lord Bird.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
The eight-person boy band group ATEEZ delivered a three-hour blitz of singing, rapping and dancing with hypnotic swagger and heart-melting winks.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 20 June 2025
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
The table serving as a centerpiece winks to a fashion runway.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
Hank certainly seems to be getting more than his 40 winks of sleep at night, if the care and intelligence demonstrated in this brief clip is anything to go by.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Olivier Rousteing, creative director, Balmain Creative director of Balmain since 2011, Rousteing has revitalized the house with his bold, opulent designs, blending modern glamour with winks to the legacy of founder Pierre Balmain.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
His voice took a few beats to settle, but in the meantime who wouldn’t be captivated by Martin’s joyful skips, knee bends, winks and grins?
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
There are a lot of subtle winks like that in the series, including someone other than Kyle MacLachlan playing a character named Agent Cooper, and even a reference to Hawke’s hilarious, thunderously great performance as John Brown in The Good Lord Bird.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
The eight-person boy band group ATEEZ delivered a three-hour blitz of singing, rapping and dancing with hypnotic swagger and heart-melting winks.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 20 June 2025
Verb
But when the lights go off and consciousness winks out, another, deeper process goes to work.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
The table serving as a centerpiece winks to a fashion runway.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winks
Noun
-
Tis the season for indulgent comfort, afternoon naps, and staying inside.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Several of our testers noted their children were immersed in imaginative adventures that had pets swinging, taking baths, and tucking in for royal naps.—
Emily Glover,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Simons didn’t let a lack of minutes early in his career ruin his spirit.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The Eletta Explore is a fully automatic machine that crafts more than 50 hot and cold drinks, including cold brew in under 3 minutes.—
Melissa Knific,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The other is that China blinks and gives in.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
12 Oct. 2025
-
In a YouTube video, the robot’s head glances around with a quizzical expression and blinks in a way that is eerily lifelike.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Patches of unintelligibility are nothing new in Pynchon, but usually a coherent world view gleams upward from the murk.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Nothing gleams as beautifully as a white kitchen.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In The Mastermind, James ignores the war taking place in the background.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
But the Democratic Party seems to prefer a selective vision of free speech, one that ignores the most glaring and visible current example of suppression.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Certain types of cancer treatments increase high blood pressure, cause irregular heartbeats and heart failure.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Flow Space,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Wiesmair squints at his smartphone, which is logged on to a database of European moth species.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The amps are now gone, but the cross still flashes onscreen.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Andy Lyons / Getty Images The greatest women’s track and field star of her generation flashes a contagious smile.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winks. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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