wink

1
[ wingk ]
See synonyms for: winkwinkedwinking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to close and open one eye quickly as a hint or signal or with some sly meaning (often followed by at): She winked at him across the room.

  2. to shine with little flashes of light; twinkle: The city lights winked in the distance.

  1. to close and open one or both eyes quickly.

verb (used with object)
  1. to signal or convey by closing and opening one eye quickly: Wink one eye if you need help later.

  2. to close and open (one or both eyes) quickly.

  1. to drive or force by opening and closing the eyes rapidly (usually followed by back or away): She attempted to wink back the tears.

noun
  1. a winking movement, especially of one eye in giving a hint or signal:I gave the judges a wink of my eye to show my confidence.

  2. a hint or signal given by closing and opening one eye rapidly: Her wink assured me the plan was still on.

  1. an act of closing and opening one eye rapidly.

  2. the time required for closing and opening the eyes once; an instant or twinkling: I'll be there in a wink.

  3. a little flash of light; twinkle.

  4. the least bit: I didn't sleep a wink last night.

Verb Phrases
  1. wink at, to ignore deliberately, as to avoid the necessity of taking action: to wink at minor offenses.

Origin of wink

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb winken, Old English wincian; cognate with German winken “to wave, signal”; the noun is derivative of the verb

synonym study For wink

3. Wink, blink refer to rapid motions of the eyelid. To wink is to close and open either one or both eyelids with a rapid motion, often intentionally or as a signal. To blink suggests an involuntary movement, sometimes due to a sleepy, dazed, or dazzled condition in which it is difficult to focus the eyes or see clearly: Bright sun makes most people blink.

Other words for wink

Other words from wink

  • wink·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·wink·ing, adjective

Other definitions for wink (2 of 2)

wink2
[ wingk ]

nounGames.
  1. a disk or similar small object used in tiddlywinks.

Origin of wink

2
First recorded in 1890–95; extracted from tiddlywinks

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wink in a sentence

  • Watch him: he preaches extemporaneously, but often peers up and winks, and often looks down at his bible and squeezes his eyes.

  • "I think about forty minutes of winks, Father Dan," he replied.

    My New Curate | P.A. Sheehan
  • I'm beginning to think that I, too, took forty winks during the reading of that paper.

    My New Curate | P.A. Sheehan
  • I do think I can dream more foolish things during three to half a dozen winks of sleep than any man that ever lived.

    An Arkansas Planter | Opie Percival Read
  • Adultery is still an excellent joke in a farce, provided it is conveyed by winks and nods.

    The English Stage | Augustin Filon

British Dictionary definitions for wink (1 of 2)

wink1

/ (wɪŋk) /


verb
  1. (intr) to close and open one eye quickly, deliberately, or in an exaggerated fashion to convey friendliness, etc

  2. to close and open (an eye or the eyes) momentarily

  1. (tr; foll by away, back, etc) to force away (tears, etc) by winking

  2. (tr) to signal with a wink

  3. (intr) (of a light) to gleam or flash intermittently

noun
  1. a winking movement, esp one conveying a signal, etc, or such a signal

  2. an interrupted flashing of light

  1. a brief moment of time; instant

  2. informal the smallest amount, esp of sleep: See also forty winks

  3. tip the wink British informal to give a hint

Origin of wink

1
Old English wincian; related to Old Saxon wincon, Old High German winchan, German winken to wave. See wench, winch

British Dictionary definitions for wink (2 of 2)

wink2

/ (wɪŋk) /


noun
  1. a disc used in the game of tiddlywinks

Origin of wink

2
C20: shortened from tiddlywinks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wink

wink

In addition to the idiom beginning with wink

  • wink at

also see:

  • forty winks
  • quick as a wink
  • sleep a wink

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.