blink

[blingk]

verb (used without object)

1. to close and reopen the eyes, especially involuntarily.

   Every time I blink, it makes the cut on my eyelid hurt.

2. to look with half-shut eyes or rapidly closing and opening eyes.

   I blinked at the harsh morning light.

3. to be startled, surprised, or dismayed (usually followed byat ).

   She blinked at his sudden fury.

4. to look evasively or with indifference; ignore (often followed byat ).

   to blink at another's eccentricities.

5. to shine unsteadily, dimly, or intermittently; twinkle; flicker.

   The light on the buoy blinked in the distance.

6. to yield or back down from a confrontation.

   All eyes are on the two nations' standoff, waiting to see who blinks.

verb (used with object)

1. to close and reopen (the eye or eyes), usually rapidly, repeatedly, or involuntarily;

   She blinked her eyes in an effort to wake up.

2. to cause (something) to twinkle or shine intermittently.

   We blinked the flashlight frantically, but there was no response.

3. Rare.,  to ignore deliberately; evade; shirk.

   Although deaths continue to rise, the authorities have blinked the problem.

   Synonyms: condone, avoid, disregard, overlook

noun

1. an act or instance of closing and reopening the eyes, especially repeatedly or involuntarily.

   She claimed not to be startled, but her blink betrayed her.

2. the act or condition of flickering, twinkling, or shining intermittently.

   The faithful blink of the lighthouse comforted the crew.

   Synonyms: flutter, twinkle, flicker, wink

3. a gleam; glimmer.

   There was not a blink of light anywhere.

4. Chiefly Scot.,  a glance or glimpse.

5. Meteorology.

   1. iceblink.

   2. snowblink.

blink

/ blɪŋk /

verb

1. to close and immediately reopen (the eyes or an eye), usually involuntarily

2. (intr) to look with the eyes partially closed, as in strong sunlight

3. to shine intermittently, as in signalling, or unsteadily

4. (tr; foll by away, from, etc) to clear the eyes of (dust, tears, etc)

5. to be surprised or amazed

   he blinked at the splendour of the ceremony

6. to pretend not to know or see (a fault, injustice, etc)

noun

1. the act or an instance of blinking

2. a glance; glimpse

3. short for iceblink

4. slang,  not working properly

Word History and Origins

Origin of blink¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb blincken, variant of blenchen, blenken “to quail, shrink back, blench” ( blench ¹ ); cognate with Dutch, German blinken

Word History and Origins

Origin of blink¹

C14: variant of _blench ¹ ; related to Middle Dutch blinken to glitter, Danish blinke to wink, Swedish blinka

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on the blink, not in proper working order; in need of repair.

   The washing machine is on the blink again.

see on the blink.

Synonym Study

See wink ¹.

Example Sentences

In the blink of an eye, farmers markets were announcing their last weekends.

From Salon

They are taking on all of this and a lot more in the blink of an eye and it is far from certain it is do-able.

From BBC

Away from the cameras he is loose and cheerful, but once the red light blinks, the mood changes.

From BBC

GPs said they don't know what will happen next and who will blink first to restart negotiations.

From BBC

Eighty-six years ago, when a kiddie fare cost 15 cents, my then-6-year-old grandmother watched the theater blink from sepia to vivid color splendor.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flash 
• flicker 
• flutter 
• sparkle 
• squint 

When To Use

What does blink mean?

To blink is to open and close the eyes rapidly, usually involuntarily. A blink is the act of blinking.To blink is also to shine unsteadily, as a light that is about to die might.In a figurative sense, to blink means to be startled or dismayed, as in Carter blinked at all the money his business partner spent on traveling.To blink can also mean to ignore or avoid something, as in Society will blink at rude behavior if the person being rude is powerful enough.Example: Blink your eyes when you see the light flash.