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
- twinkler noun
- twinkly adjective
- untwinkled adjective
Etymology
Origin of twinkle
before 900; Middle English twinklen (v.), Old English twinclian; twink, -le
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.
"She went to sleep and woke up to find her ward covered in twinkling lights and decorations. She had a stocking packed with gifts."
From BBC
It’s an assembly of archetypes going through the motions, snow falling and lights twinkling all the while.
She nodded a few times, and I swear she had that twinkle in her eye like when a teacher sees you start to understand a math problem.
From Literature
Any skeptic would find themselves disarmed by her soft smile and twinkling voice, and her tendency to address everyone as “angel.”
From Los Angeles Times
Strings of twinkling Christmas lights hung from the ceiling between the stars he’d helped to cut out from silver paper.
From Salon
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.
