wink
verb
\ ˈwiŋk
\
\
winked;
winking;
winks
Definition of wink
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to shut one eye briefly as a signal or in teasing
2
: to close and open the eyelids quickly
3
: to avoid seeing or noting something
—usually used with at
4
: to gleam or flash intermittently : twinkle
her glasses winking in the sunlight— Harper Lee
5a
: to come to an end
—usually used with out
b
: to stop shining
—usually used with out
6
: to signal a message with a light
1
: to cause to open and shut
2
: to affect or influence by or as if by blinking the eyes
wink
nounDefinition of wink (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for wink
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Noun
catnap, doze, drowse, forty winks, kip [chiefly British], nap, siesta, snooze
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Examples of wink in a Sentence
Verb
He winked and said that he understood. She winked at me as she asked what I was doing tonight. She winked an eye at me. The puppy was winking in the bright sun. The stars winked in the night sky. The airplane's landing lights winked on and off.Noun
Her wink told me she was just kidding. “I knew you could do it,” he said with a wink.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
That sense of winking playfulness pervades every scene and it’s brought to colorful life in Jennifer Brawn Gittings’ riotously colorful costumes. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘Rock of Ages’ at Cygnet a tongue-in-cheek guilty pleasure," 8 July 2019 Never to be confused with the U.S. representative from Illinois, Rush is an eightysomething chitlin-circuit star who combines blues structure and funk attitude with a bit of winking lasciviousness built over many decades. — Steve Knopper, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Blues Fest: 7 must-see shows, from Bettye LaVette to Bobby Rush," 6 June 2019 Shoulder pads sort of came back in style in recent years, but in a truly campy way: It winked at the past, knowing that the look is sculpted but a little silly, and then dared to be taken seriously. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Who Wore the Biggest Shoulders at the 2019 Met Gala? An Investigation," 7 May 2019 Its title implies fright but also winks at the show’s droll tone. — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, "The Unique, Comic Alchemy of Los Espookys," 21 June 2019 Jarmusch fills his film with a giddy array of idiosyncratic characters and a cast of actors who wink at the cinematic worlds of David Lynch and the Coen brothers. — Paige Williams, The New Yorker, "“The Dead Don’t Die,” Reviewed: Jim Jarmusch’s Fiercely Political Zombie Comedy," 14 June 2019 On a show that loves its meta jokes as much as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the temptation to wink at the camera about the recasting could have been overwhelming. — Constance Grady, Vox, "How Crazy Ex-Girlfriend pulled off recasting Greg, one of its biggest characters," 12 Dec. 2018 If womanhood is a performance, then the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are sneaking something true through all the layers of ridiculousness, an arch sensibility that winks to everybody with eyes to see and ears to hear. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "GLOW season 2 is less than the sum of its parts. But those parts are amazing.," 29 June 2018 Ferragni’s brand, which has an emoji-like winking eye as its signature motif, is now carried in more than 400 stores, including flagships in Milan, Paris, and Shanghai, and generates $25 million in annual revenue. — Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, "Chiara Ferragni's Secret to Winning on Social Media," 18 Apr. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
This characteristic of implicit logic—a nod and wink to shared knowledge about an event or person—is what makes memes impactful. — Claire Wardle, Scientific American, "Misinformation Has Created a New World Disorder," 20 Aug. 2019 ThoseHaciendaVibezzz Pink to make football fans wink. — SI.com, "Premier League Kits 2019/20: Every Away Shirt Ranked From Worst to Best," 2 Aug. 2019 Use Headphones with Discretion Save yourself the five bucks and catch some more winks by passing on the airline’s headphones. — Ed Hewitt, USA TODAY, "Sleeping on planes: 13 tips for getting 40 winks on your next long-haul flight," 5 July 2019 And although animals may close one eye, and despite the vast amount of evidence on the internet, there is no scientific evidence that dogs, or any other animals, wink. — James Gorman, New York Times, "Those Puppy Dog Eyes You Can’t Resist? Thank Evolution," 17 June 2019 Launching today, the limited-edition collab spans four insanely covetable products done up in extra-special pink packaging and Ferragni's signature wink motif. — Karina Hoshikawa, refinery29.com, "Chiara Ferragni Teamed Up With Lancôme — & You're Going To Want Everything," 15 June 2019 When the aircraft passes that point a green light winks on inside the cargo bay and the loadmaster literally cuts a single restraining strap to release the cargo. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The C-130J Super Hercules Is Ready for the Worst," 9 Oct. 2018 Apple has also upgraded its AR technology, making the Animoji and Memoji responsive to more facial expressions, including winks and tongue movement. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Apple Announces Customizable Memoji at WWDC 2018," 4 June 2018 Facial expressions, microexpressions, emotions, tone of voice, body posture, movements, winks and twitches all give clues about a person’s mental state. — Marcus Holmes, Washington Post, "Trump canceled the summit with North Korea. Here’s the real missed opportunity.," 24 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wink.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for wink
wink
verb
English Language Learners Definition of wink
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to close and open one eye quickly as a signal to someone
: to close and open your eyes quickly
: to shine in an unsteady way
wink
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of wink (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act of closing and opening one eye very quickly often as a way of giving a secret signal or private message to someone
informal
: a very short amount of time
See the full definition for wink in the English Language Learners Dictionary