wink at

British  

verb

1. (intr, preposition) to connive at; disregard

   the authorities winked at corruption

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wink at Idioms  

1. Deliberately overlook, pretend not to see, as in Sometimes it's wise to wink at a friend's shortcomings. This idiom, first recorded in 1537, uses wink in the sense of “close one's eyes.”

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Example Sentences

I bent to turn the faucet off, but my head swam, and the faint shimmer of water on the tile seemed to wink at me.

From Literature

Downing was “adept at switching between the material and the spiritual,” a realist willing to wink at disagreements and who favored “subtlety, sophistication and restraint.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Dad comes in behind him and winks at me as he stands next to Brie’s chair.

From Literature

And then Etty winked at me, lowered her voice to a conspiratorial level and said, ‘I think he liked her.’

From Literature

He winked at me, then kissed his mother on the cheek and left.

From Literature

Related Words

• acquit
• condone
• defend
• exempt
• exonerate
• explain
• forgive
• indulge
• let go
• pardon
• relieve
• spare
• tolerate