twinkle
Americanverb (used without object)
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to shine with a flickering gleam of light, as a star or distant light.
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to sparkle in the light.
The diamond on her finger twinkled in the firelight.
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(of the eyes) to be bright with amusement, pleasure, etc.
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to move flutteringly and quickly, as flashes of light; flit.
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Archaic. to wink; blink.
verb (used with object)
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to emit (light) in intermittent gleams or flashes.
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Archaic. to wink (the eyes or eyelids).
noun
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a flickering or intermittent brightness or light.
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a scintillating brightness in the eyes; sparkle.
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the time required for a wink; a twinkling.
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Archaic. a wink.
verb
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to emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; shine brightly and intermittently; sparkle
twinkling stars
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(of the eyes) to sparkle, esp with amusement or delight
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rare to move about quickly
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rare (also tr) to wink (the eyes); blink
noun
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an intermittent gleam of light; flickering brightness; sparkle or glimmer
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an instant
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a rare word for wink 1
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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twinklesimple
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twinklessimple
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have twinkledperfect
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has twinkledperfect
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am twinklingprogressive
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are twinklingprogressive
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is twinklingprogressive
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have been twinklingperfect progressive
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has been twinklingperfect progressive
Past
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twinkledsimple
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had twinkledperfect
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was twinklingprogressive
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were twinklingprogressive
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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:
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
"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
We’ve cleared the postcard phase of winter — the fat twinkle lights, the bow-strapped storefronts, the flattering first snow — but spring has not yet agreed to show up.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
“When you’ll see what I’m wearing … you’ll see that I don’t play,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
The way Lev's eyes twinkle reminds me of Papa's smiling eyes, Maria's raspy laugh, the harmonies of choir children.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Pre-Arkham Sofia twinkles brightly, knowing her father intends for her to take over the family business.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2024
Morphing through nearly nine minutes, the track struts on Ndegeocello’s synthesizer bass lines; twinkles and hovers with Brandee Younger’s harp; and sprints toward the end with double time drumming, headed somewhere new.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
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
"And high above the putrid corpse a crystal chandelier is tinkling. It tinkles and twinkles, but not one breath of air stirs in that gloomy tomb of a room."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Lights twinkled around doorways, signs declared “Happy Hanukkah,” and large inflatables obstructed parts of the hallway.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 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
Bright lights strung across the street twinkled overhead.
From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
Above the looming outlines of the mountains, the children of Inti and Mama Killa twinkled in the dark sky, a familiar sight in such an unfamiliar place.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
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
Through the cockpit, the city glowed on the horizon, a strip of twinkling lights severing the night sky from the dark Potomac river.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
After a romantic ride through chic neighbourhoods, Castel got down on one knee as a violinist played with the twinkling Eiffel Tower in the background.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
He can make out only several twinkling lights and shapes that could possibly be furniture.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
