twinkle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
twinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twinkled,
past participle, past
-
twinkling
present participle
-
to shine with a flickering gleam of light, as a star or distant light.
-
to sparkle in the light.
The diamond on her finger twinkled in the firelight.
-
(of the eyes) to be bright with amusement, pleasure, etc.
-
to move flutteringly and quickly, as flashes of light; flit.
-
Archaic. to wink; blink.
verb (used with object)
-
twinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twinkled,
past participle, past
-
twinkling
present participle
-
to emit (light) in intermittent gleams or flashes.
-
Archaic. to wink (the eyes or eyelids).
noun
-
twinkles
plural
-
a flickering or intermittent brightness or light.
-
a scintillating brightness in the eyes; sparkle.
-
the time required for a wink; a twinkling.
-
Archaic. a wink.
verb
-
to emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; shine brightly and intermittently; sparkle
twinkling stars
-
(of the eyes) to sparkle, esp with amusement or delight
-
rare to move about quickly
-
rare (also tr) to wink (the eyes); blink
noun
-
an intermittent gleam of light; flickering brightness; sparkle or glimmer
-
an instant
-
a rare word for wink 1
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
twinklesimple
-
twinklessimple
-
have twinkledperfect
-
has twinkledperfect
-
am twinklingprogressive
-
are twinklingprogressive
-
is twinklingprogressive
-
have been twinklingperfect progressive
-
has been twinklingperfect progressive
Past
-
twinkledsimple
-
had twinkledperfect
-
was twinklingprogressive
-
were twinklingprogressive
-
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
For decades, L.A.’s hazy blue days and golden pink dusks have given way to nights speckled with golden orange, where amber streetlights twinkle across hills, valleys and coastal plain like stars in the sky.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 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
There’s a signature warm, intimate-feeling hue to the shots, with each guest’s hair and eyes lit up with just the right amount of twinkle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
I could see a twinkle in her eyes and she was smiling.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
They looked up at Jeff, with the kind of twinkles in their eyes that kids save for grandparents.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2022
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
At the top of each hour while lit, it twinkles thanks to 20,000 flashing bulbs.
From Reuters ● Sep. 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
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
But the dude was smiling, and his eyes twinkled like moonbeams hitting sand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
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
She knew she’d chosen well during her first gig in Chicago, when she stepped out onto her skyscraper balcony and saw the city lights twinkling around her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
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
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
It is black and covered with tiny twinkling lights.
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.
