Related Searches
Nearby Words
verb (used without object)
1.
to close and open one or both eyes quickly.
2.
to close and open one eye quickly as a hint or signal or with some sly meaning (often followed by at): She winked at him across the room.
3.
(of the eyes) to close and open thus; blink.
4.
to shine with little flashes of light; twinkle: The city lights winked in the distance.
verb (used with object)
5.
to close and open (one or both eyes) quickly; execute or give (a wink).
6.
to drive or force by winking (usually followed by back or away): She attempted to wink back the tears.
7.
to signal or convey by a wink.
:10
:09
:08
:07
:06
:05
:04
:03
:02
:01
Wink at
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
noun
Verb phrase8.
an act of winking.
9.
a winking movement, especially of one eye in giving a hint or signal.
10.
a hint or signal given by winking.
11.
the time required for winking once; an instant or twinkling: I'll be there in a wink.
12.
EXPANDa little flash of light; twinkle.
13.
COLLAPSEthe least bit: I didn't sleep a wink last night.
14.
wink at, to ignore deliberately, as to avoid the necessity of taking action: to wink at minor offenses.
Origin:
before 900; (v.) Middle English winken, Old English wincian; cognate with German winken to wave, signal; (noun) Middle English: nap, derivative of the v.
before 900; (v.) Middle English winken, Old English wincian; cognate with German winken to wave, signal; (noun) Middle English: nap, derivative of the v.
Related forms
wink·ing·ly, adverb
un·wink·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. Wink, blink refer to rapid motions of the eyelid. To wink is to close and open either one or both eyelids with a rapid motion. To blink suggests a sleepy, dazed, or dazzled condition in which it is difficult to focus the eyes or see clearly: Bright sun makes one blink. 4. sparkle.
1. Wink, blink refer to rapid motions of the eyelid. To wink is to close and open either one or both eyelids with a rapid motion. To blink suggests a sleepy, dazed, or dazzled condition in which it is difficult to focus the eyes or see clearly: Bright sun makes one blink. 4. sparkle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To wink at
Collins
World English Dictionary
| wink at | |
| —vb | |
| (intr, preposition) to connive at; disregard: the authorities winked at corruption | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
wink
O.E. wincian "to nod, wink," from P.Gmc. *wenkanan (cf. Du. wenken, O.H.G. winkan, Ger. winken), a gradational variant of the root of O.H.G. wankon "to stagger, totter," O.N. vakka "to stray, hover," from PIE *weng- "to bend, curve." The meaning "close an eye as a hint or signal" is first recorded c.1100;
EXPANDthat of "close one's eyes to fault or irregularity" first attested c.1480. The noun is recorded from c.1300; meaning "very brief moment of time" is attested from 1585.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
wink (wĭngk)
v. winked, wink·ing, winks
To close and open the eyelid of one eye deliberately, as to convey a message, signal, or suggestion.
To close and open the eyelids of both eyes; blink.
A quick closing and opening of the eyelids; a blink.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
wink at
Deliberately overlook, pretend not to see, as in Sometimes it's wise to wink at a friend's shortcomings. This idiom, first recorded in 1537, uses wink in the sense of "close one's eyes."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.