winkle
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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winkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
winkled,
past participle, past
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winkling
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
winklesimple
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winklessimple
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have winkledperfect
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has winkledperfect
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am winklingprogressive
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are winklingprogressive
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is winklingprogressive
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have been winklingperfect progressive
-
has been winklingperfect progressive
Past
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winkledsimple
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had winkledperfect
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was winklingprogressive
-
were winklingprogressive
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had been winklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of winkle
First recorded in 1575–85; short for periwinkle 1
Vocabulary lists containing winkle
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:
England managed 3.15 degrees of spin in the first ODI but it was 3.62 here - a 15% increase - which Brook, to his credit, astutely realised was the best way to winkle wickets.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
As with Revere’s ride, it can be hard to winkle out the truth.
From Economist ● Jul. 20, 2017
“So that’s the kind of thing, I think the withholding of information is pretty important and for now for you to winkle it out of us in a Q&A would really blow it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2015
Now he was using his lawyers to winkle information out of federal investigators, even as he dangled a promise of becoming a witness for the prosecutors.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2015
‘And you is going to help me do it. Us together is going to winkle out this tasteful little human bean!’ he shouted.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Is it more like winkles, or like snails, or any of the other two dozen options, from kelp to cuttlefish?
From The Guardian ● May 23, 2018
The surface of the lake winkles in a mirrorflake curl, approaching them fast, and when the gust causing the cat's paw hits them, the boat heels hard.
From The Verge ● Aug. 29, 2015
Spiced winkles and scampi provençal are the novel touches, alongside a lot of solid cheffyness.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 30, 2012
The sands and rocks now are without a trace of tar, but the sea is practically devoid of plankton, which nourishes such underwater creatures as limpets and winkles.
From Time Magazine Archive
He emptied about a dozen winkles into my hand, and I put them in the two pockets of my skirt.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
In the process, they winkled out some remarkably intimate details and gave Macron a platform to show a more personal side at a critical juncture in his second term as president.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2023
For nearly three months, Azovstal’s garrison clung on, refusing to be winkled out from the tunnels and bunkers under the ruins of the labyrinthine mill.
From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2022
The Envelope is here to change all that: As we do every year, we’ve winkled out the rare gems that belong in categories no awards committee would ever sanctify.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2022
It’s a contradiction but she’s a small figure, despite her size, winkled into a banquette.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2017
In the songs, Lann was the fellow who winkled the Casterlys out of easterly Rock with no weapon but his wits, and stole gold from the sun to brighten his curly hair.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
My mother made them back at home, too, complete with dimpled metal snail holders, clamping devices and winkling tools.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 3, 2015
Not because Bob Diamond was taciturn; but because the committee members were not up to the job of winkling out telling points.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 4, 2012
However, he is pessimistic about the chances of winkling DNA out of H. floresiensis, saying that the molecules are probably too fragmented owing to high temperatures at the excavation site.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 5, 2011
In Alex's swift fantasies of being a basketball star, in his coach's small complacent cruelties that drive Alex to quit, an American dream of winning goes winkling out.
From Time Magazine Archive
But his assignment in Viet Nam to the low-level chore of winkling out Viet Cong did not dim his enthusiasm.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
