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.
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
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
“Or according to me,” Magic said with a twinkle in her eyes, “you could use it to slide down a hill really, really fast!”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
