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
Just as Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey somehow managed to have careers after starring in the fourth “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Alexander is a performer with promise: a screen presence with that extra twinkle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
And though I can’t see Daddy’s face behind my back, I sing a prayer on the inside that for once there’s a twinkle in his eyes too.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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
Washington’s Bavarian-style village twinkles throughout winter, with millions of candy-colored lights adorning trees and traditional, snow-topped timber-framed buildings.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
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
It’s the size of my palm and twinkles in its case like a tiny star.
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
In the distance, the lights of the Southland twinkled underneath a scrim of haze.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2024
Not far from here among the towering pines, moose and deer grazing on the plentiful grasses, and lake that twinkled in the summer sun, she raised her six kids.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2023
Beading on the first lady’s long-sleeved, navy, off-the-shoulder column gown twinkled; light danced in the gaps between the multitude of subtle flower appliqués that composed its outer silhouette.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2022
He still had all his hair, and it was still coal black, and his dark eyes twinkled above the paper surgical mask he was wearing.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
A canopy of candy-colored paper lanterns and twinkling lights hangs over a long dining table opposite the restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Digital creators also walked the red carpet twinkling and sparkling in cultures and sculpted dresses.
From BBC ● May 10, 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
I’ve always read about eyes twinkling and I remember my friends laughing and saying eyes can’t really twinkle.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
