hint
Americannoun
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an indirect, covert, or helpful suggestion; clue.
Give me a hint as to his identity.
- Synonyms:
- inkling, reminder, memorandum, innuendo, insinuation, allusion
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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)
verb (used without object)
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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are hintingprogressive
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am 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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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.
The Fed released a much sparser statement summarizing recent economic developments that avoided any hint on its next move.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
In a hearty lentil-and-vegetable soup, lemon juice contrasts those earthy, spicy flavors with tang and a hint of sweetness.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
A zebra-striped lounging chair to the left and a taxidermied antelope head on the wall behind hint at the wealth and leisure of its titular city — another subject of great interest to Hockney.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
At the high end of the income spectrum, there is a hint in the data that wealthy Americans are “unfreezing” their financial power to buy assets, said James McCann, senior economist at Edward Jones.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
So at the first hint of danger, he’d be able to storm in and save Chip.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
