hint
Americannoun
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hints
plural
-
an indirect, covert, or helpful suggestion; clue.
Give me a hint as to his identity.
- Synonyms:
- inkling, reminder, memorandum, innuendo, insinuation, allusion
-
a very slight or hardly noticeable amount; soupçon.
a hint of garlic in the salad dressing.
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perceived indication or suggestion; note; intimation.
a hint of spring in the air.
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Obsolete. an occasion or opportunity.
verb (used with object)
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hints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hinted,
past participle, past
-
hinting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
hints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hinted,
past participle, past
-
hinting
present participle
noun
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a suggestion or implication given in an indirect or subtle manner
he dropped a hint
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a helpful piece of advice or practical suggestion
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a small amount; trace
verb
Usage
What does hint mean?
A hint is an indirect, disguised, or helpful suggestion. In other words, it’s a clue, as in Can you just give me a hint about what my birthday present is?
A hint that suggests something can be planned or unplanned, and it can even be hidden using language that only some parties may understand. A hint is usually something you see, hear, or read.
Hint can also mean a slightly noticeable amount of, such as with a taste or a smell, as in I taste a hint of fennel in this sausage.
To hint means to give a hint, as in Our teacher hinted that we might not have to take a final exam, but they wouldn’t say for sure.
To hint also means to imply something rather than stating it directly, as in The ending hinted at a sequel coming but never said it outright.
Example: I’ll never figure out the puzzle if you don’t give me a hint.
Synonym Usage
Hint, intimate, insinuate, suggest denote the conveying of an idea to the mind indirectly or without full or explicit statement. To hint is to convey an idea covertly or indirectly, but intelligibly: to hint that one would like a certain present; to hint that bits of gossip might be true. To intimate is to give a barely perceptible hint, often with the purpose of influencing action: to intimate that something may be possible. To insinuate is to hint artfully, often at what one would not dare to say directly: to insinuate something against someone's reputation. Suggest denotes particularly recalling something to the mind or starting a new train of thought by means of association of ideas: The name doesn't suggest anything to me.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hintsimple
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hintssimple
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have hintedperfect
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has hintedperfect
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am hintingprogressive
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are hintingprogressive
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is hintingprogressive
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have been hintingperfect progressive
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has been hintingperfect progressive
Past
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hintedsimple
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had hintedperfect
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was hintingprogressive
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were hintingprogressive
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had been hintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hint
First recorded in 1595–1605; (noun) originally, “opportunity, occasion,” apparently variant of obsolete hent “grasp, act of seizing,” derivative of the verb: “to grasp, take,” Middle English henten, Old English hentan; (verb) derivative of the noun
Explanation
A hint is a slight indication or clue. Your mother might hint at the fact that she doesn’t like your shoes, while your grandmother will just come right out and say that they’re ugly. If you’re a journalist following a lead, you’ll prefer that your source give you all the facts, rather than just a hint. A hint can be an indirect suggestion and it is also a very small amount — maybe you take just a hint of sugar in your coffee. As a verb, hint is an intimation or subtle suggestion. It’s also something you drop, like when you hint that you want a particular video game for your birthday.
Vocabulary lists containing hint
Beowulf vocabulary
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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Words for Cheese Writers
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the village of Budry, cows and horses grazing in the rolling fields give little hint of the heavily militarised Kaliningrad exclave next door.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Finally, after Dan failed to get the hint, Bill cut in.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Layered images hint at the underlying complexity while St. Vincent’s “Slow Disco” complements the meditative rhythm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Some forecasts hint at the potential of a further heat spike later next week with highs into the mid-30s possible.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Those two warships today gave us just a little hint of what’s to come,” Paul said.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Smith has been increasingly vocal about his politics as he hints at a possible presidential run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Federal data hints at a broader slowdown in what had been HSI’s most urgent work.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
It also hints at what might happen if the AI trade were to truly crack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
He does not believe in so-called forward guidance — hints to markets as to what the Fed will do with interest rates and why.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
And it don’t matter how many hints and ’couragements I’ve laid out to him, he jus’ don’t want no truck with water and soap.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Mathys Tel: Early clever flick hinted at a threat, but was then anonymous.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Rather than expand bond auctions, he is financing the deficit with more Treasury bills and hinted that auctions of some bonds might actually shrink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It did not mention Trump's order or his desire to resume talks with Kim, with whom he has hinted at being in contact.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
She even hinted at this in her video.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
The tariff controversy was settled, but it hinted at a greater problem.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
The central bank also released a constant stream of forward guidance hinting at low rates in the future to deter markets from bidding up yields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
One training noted that it was “not an introductory course,” hinting that the school-based health providers are well-versed in the topic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“I think of this as a detox, for both the financial markets and financial journalists,” Bessent said of Warsh’s strategy of not hinting about the direction of rate policy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
He insisted he would not be in Jeddah, before hinting the opposite.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
A door pushed just ajar, and the thinnest sliver of light hinting at radiance beyond.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
