winkle
[ wing-kuhl ]
/ ˈwɪŋ kəl /
Save This Word!
noun
any of various marine gastropods; periwinkle1.
verb (used with object), win·kled, win·kling.
Informal. to pry (something) out of a place, as winkle meat is dug out of its shell with a pin (usually followed by out).
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of winkle
First recorded in 1575–85; short for periwinkle1
Words nearby winkle
Winiwarter-Buerger disease, wink, wink at, Winkelried, winker, winkle, winkle-pickers, wink reflex, winlestrae, winnable, winnard
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for winkle
British Dictionary definitions for winkle
winkle
/ (ˈwɪŋkəl) /
noun
See periwinkle 1
verb
(tr; usually foll by out, out of, etc) informal, mainly British to extract or prise out
Word Origin for winkle
C16: shortened from periwinkle 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