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
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026
Her work explores healing from childhood trauma, perfectionism, motherhood, and the quiet synchronistic winks that guide us to the miracles awaiting us.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
The actress stars as Cathy in Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel—and so far, the press tour has been filled with knowing winks and nods to the source material.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
As for the music, it’s aptly encoded with cosmic winks and shrugs — layers of paradoxical noises that feel messy and mannered, casual and serious, loose and tight, hungry and wise.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
References, winks, and even fan-pleasing cameos abound, but unlike in many big-budget IP adaptations, all of them make sense for the story being told and don't take attention away from the main players.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 16 Dec. 2025
On a poster, the brand’s mascot, Snow King, holds a milk tea and winks.
—Theodora Yu, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025
In its effort to stoke the geopolitical flames with winks and tongue-in-cheek reference, this new book flattens the story to surface level commentary.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
Badlands might be a simple movie on the surface, but it's filled with little details, bits of lore, and cheeky winks many moviegoers appreciated.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The hotel itself is a rhapsody in clean, modern design that subtly winks to the legion efforts behind it.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
There are a lot of knowing nods and winks to past horror landmarks as well, notably Videodrome and The Shining, and more than a few gentle ribbings of the clichés of the Golden Age of slashers.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026
Her work explores healing from childhood trauma, perfectionism, motherhood, and the quiet synchronistic winks that guide us to the miracles awaiting us.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
The actress stars as Cathy in Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel—and so far, the press tour has been filled with knowing winks and nods to the source material.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
As for the music, it’s aptly encoded with cosmic winks and shrugs — layers of paradoxical noises that feel messy and mannered, casual and serious, loose and tight, hungry and wise.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
References, winks, and even fan-pleasing cameos abound, but unlike in many big-budget IP adaptations, all of them make sense for the story being told and don't take attention away from the main players.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 16 Dec. 2025
On a poster, the brand’s mascot, Snow King, holds a milk tea and winks.
—Theodora Yu, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025
In its effort to stoke the geopolitical flames with winks and tongue-in-cheek reference, this new book flattens the story to surface level commentary.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
The film, from director Susanne Bier, opens September 11, and the first teaser showed the old house that was rebuilt meticulously, as well as the two Owens sisters getting up to a whole lot of witchy stuff and some sly winks.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
Badlands might be a simple movie on the surface, but it's filled with little details, bits of lore, and cheeky winks many moviegoers appreciated.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The hotel itself is a rhapsody in clean, modern design that subtly winks to the legion efforts behind it.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Jan. 2026
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
-
The Today and Health tabs are getting charts for hourly step goals, as well, and a new 24-hour total sleep overview will show both main sleep and naps.—
Stevie Bonifield,
The Verge,
27 May 2026
-
The new software automatically detects and logs naps that are at least 20 minutes long.—
Luciana Paulise,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The spa Wander for about 10 minutes from the central living area down Discovery Channel, and three little areas come into view.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
With more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson pulled his starters, effectively conceding the series as the Knicks turned the final minutes into a celebration.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The mental image most people carry into a salary conversation is two people on opposite sides of a table, locked in a staring contest until one person blinks.—
Kwame Christian Esq,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
An engineer by training, Massie designed several patents — some on display in his office — as well as a debt calculator that blinks in flashing red numerals as the nation’s deficits pile up.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
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
Verb
-
Yet the assumption that more demand automatically equals grid failure ignores how energy systems respond to new demand.—
Anna Broughel,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
All Saints allows and ignores a culture of bullying, the lawsuit alleges.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The implantable pacemaker emerged in the late 1950s after engineers and surgeons developed a device capable of electrically regulating irregular heartbeats from inside the body.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
-
To live with, and in, All of a Sudden is to match heartbeats with these two women for a few hours.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Charles squints at the phone.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Wiesmair squints at his smartphone, which is logged on to a database of European moth species.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
David Duchovny flashes a smile onstage at the X-Files cast reunion panel at the 2026 Fan Expo in Denver on May 29.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
-
The front of the doorbell features a camera, a doorbell call button with an LED ring that flashes blue when someone rings, an ambient light sensor, two infrared LEDs for night vision, a microphone, and a removable faceplate.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winks. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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