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
These songs were birthed before social media algorithms shaped the direction of popular music, when singles and their accompanying videos had less winks, less meta commentary, less need to be provocative.
—Literary Hub, 3 July 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
These songs were birthed before social media algorithms shaped the direction of popular music, when singles and their accompanying videos had less winks, less meta commentary, less need to be provocative.
—Literary Hub, 3 July 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
-
After countless naps, Baker shares that this pillow has kept the same shape.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Peter goes back to work right away, and Marissa tries to keep her career alive during Milo's short naps, between reading articles on how to help with infant sleep and trying to get a few moments of shut eye herself.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Just over two minutes into the second period, Ovechkin backhanded a rebound off Blues goalie Jordan Binnington for his milestone goal.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
After a few minutes Matty walked in and sat across from me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Whichever side blinks is considered cowardly by the media, but probably not by the voters.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The green Christmas light blinks in horror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Airstream gleams absurdly against the ocherous land below.—
Rowan Jacobsen,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Even his handling of deportations—another key part of his election platform—has a 52 percent disapproval rating, as Americans grapple with an ICE force that eschews state regulations, ignores due process rights and acts like the president’s personal army.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Any definition that ignores the role of processing is missing the big picture, says Mozaffarian of Tufts University.—
Maria Godoy,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Three heartbeats, one team As a competitor new to the scene, Seamans says one of the most surprising aspects for him was the powerful connection between horse, rider and skier.—
Cari Shane,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Apple’s tool analyzes data from the device’s heart sensor over a 30-day period to see how blood vessels respond to heartbeats, notifying users if signs of chronic hypertension are detected.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
20 Oct. 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
-
Watts then looks toward the Kardashians camera and flashes a befuddled look.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The movie begins with a 10-year-old Michael already showing the brutality for which The Shape was known, then flashes forward 15 years to an adult Michael (Tyler Mane) pursuing his younger sister, Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton).—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winks. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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