winkle
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have winkledperfect
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has winkledperfect 3rd person singular
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are winklingprogressive
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has been winklingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been winklingperfect progressive
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winklessingular 3rd person
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am winklingprogressive 1st person singular
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is winklingprogressive 3rd person singular
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winklingparticiple
Past
-
had winkledperfect
-
winkledsimple
-
was winklingprogressive singular
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were winklingprogressive plural
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had been winklingperfect progressive
-
winkledparticiple
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.
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
There was no directory of garages and their owners, and so Dudding took to driving around on Sunday mornings to "winkle out the garages… hiding behind blocks of flats".
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2014
‘Go on, you snipsy little winkle, have a go!’
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
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.
