winker

[ wing-ker ]

/ ˈwɪŋ kər /

Save This Word!

noun

a person or thing that winks.

a blinker or blinder for a horse.

Informal. an eyelash or an eye.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of winker

First recorded in 1540–50; wink¹ + -er¹

Words nearby winker

win hands down, Winifred, wink, wink at, Winkelried, winker, winkle, winkle-pickers, winlestrae, winnable, winnard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use winker in a sentence

But he stood there, straight as a ramrod, and never moved a eye-winker.
The Leatherwood God|William Dean Howells
Shore I'd stood there—stock-still—an' never moved an eye-winker.
The Man of the Forest|Zane Grey
She's a real nice lady, too, and goodlooking—but a grafter to her last eye winker.
The Flying U's Last Stand|B. M. Bower
Now, a lot o preachers would a gone blue an sour at that; but the Friar never blinked a winker.
Friar Tuck|Robert Alexander Wason

Is a wink a deception for which the winker must answer in the law?
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for winker

winker

/ (ˈwɪŋkə) /

noun

a person or thing that winks

US and Canadian slang, English dialect an eye, eyelash, or eyelid

another name for blinker (def. 1)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012