twinkle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
twinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twinkled,
past participle, past
-
twinkling
present participle
-
to shine with a flickering gleam of light, as a star or distant light.
-
to sparkle in the light.
The diamond on her finger twinkled in the firelight.
-
(of the eyes) to be bright with amusement, pleasure, etc.
-
to move flutteringly and quickly, as flashes of light; flit.
-
Archaic. to wink; blink.
verb (used with object)
-
twinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twinkled,
past participle, past
-
twinkling
present participle
-
to emit (light) in intermittent gleams or flashes.
-
Archaic. to wink (the eyes or eyelids).
noun
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twinkles
plural
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a flickering or intermittent brightness or light.
-
a scintillating brightness in the eyes; sparkle.
-
the time required for a wink; a twinkling.
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Archaic. a wink.
verb
-
to emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; shine brightly and intermittently; sparkle
twinkling stars
-
(of the eyes) to sparkle, esp with amusement or delight
-
rare to move about quickly
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rare (also tr) to wink (the eyes); blink
noun
-
an intermittent gleam of light; flickering brightness; sparkle or glimmer
-
an instant
-
a rare word for wink 1
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
twinklesimple
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twinklessimple
-
have twinkledperfect
-
has twinkledperfect
-
am twinklingprogressive
-
are twinklingprogressive
-
is twinklingprogressive
-
have been twinklingperfect progressive
-
has been twinklingperfect progressive
Past
-
twinkledsimple
-
had twinkledperfect
-
was twinklingprogressive
-
were twinklingprogressive
-
had been twinklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of twinkle
before 900; Middle English twinklen (v.), Old English twinclian; see twink, -le
Explanation
To twinkle is to sparkle and shine with a flickering light. A night sky in a dark place appears to be filled with stars that twinkle, almost like diamonds in the sky. Stars aren't the only things that twinkle. People whose eyes seem to glimmer with a magical or playful charm can be described as having a twinkle in their eyes. Holiday lights that flicker and flash, gemstones that sparkle in the light, and shimmering fairy lights strung across a patio are examples of other things that twinkle.
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:
At his best, he’s a superb screen star: a nimble rascal with a twinkle in his eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s something that should have come up at your onboarding with the financial planner, even if you signed up with them a long time ago and retirement was only a twinkle in your eye.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
He does have the same twinkle and melting smile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
"You're not meant to be laughing, but you can see all your mates trying to make you laugh, and they've got that twinkle in their eye," she says.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
The twinkle of city lights barely broke through the fog, making the air look just gold-hued enough to be magical.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Pre-Arkham Sofia twinkles brightly, knowing her father intends for her to take over the family business.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2024
At almost every window, a candle or star-shaped decoration twinkles a sign of welcome.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
To reach phones on the ground, the satellite uses a large, reflective antenna roughly the size of a racquetball court that twinkles brightly as it orbits.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 13, 2022
At the top of each hour while lit, it twinkles thanks to 20,000 flashing bulbs.
From Reuters ● Sep. 13, 2022
It twinkles like a rainbow in the neon lights of Dylan’s forest.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Suddenly, he grabbed my hand, and we were dancing under the moonlight while the trees twinkled with floating bulbs and antique street lamps lit up as if on cue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024
The world leaders will gather for the meal at the Bharat Mandapam building, a sprawling exhibition center in the heart of New Delhi, which twinkled with blinking lights on Saturday night.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 9, 2023
Below it, lights twinkled in the town of Lone Pine 8,000 feet below.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
All eyes focused on her, in part, because they couldn’t help it as she strode the sideline in a head-to-toe, sparkling, gold-and-black tiger-striped pantsuit that twinkled with every movement.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 2023
You are spoiled girls, she twinkled, as if rebuking a kitten.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Digital creators also walked the red carpet twinkling and sparkling in cultures and sculpted dresses.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the cabin headliner, twinkling like thousands of LED stars in the firmament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
It is faster and brighter than Space Mountain, as the Galacticoaster is heavily populated with twinkling stars, planetary projections and many a Lego brick creation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
The audience rehashed its hunches, they circled potential suspects, they stared at a static image of a horrific crime scene, awash in twinkling moonlight.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
The giant metal box was overflowing with glittery, twinkling treasure.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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