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wink

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To blink with only one eye as a message, signal, or suggestion, usually with an implication of conspiracy.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

wingk
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈwɪŋk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitiveintransitive

    To blink with only one eye as a message, signal, or suggestion, usually with an implication of conspiracy. (When transitive, the object may be the eye being winked, or the message being conveyed.)

  2. intransitive

    To close one's eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.

  3. intransitive

    Usually followed by at: to look the other way, to turn a blind eye.

  4. intransitive

    To gleam fitfully or intermittently; to twinkle; to flicker.

  5. Gleam or glow intermittently

noun

  1. An act of winking (a blinking of only one eye), or a message sent by winking.

  2. A very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

  3. A brief time; an instant.

  4. The smallest possible amount.

  5. A subtle allusion.

  6. A brief period of sleep; especially forty winks.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To close one's eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.

Used this way, wink is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use wink

  • “He gave his friend a quick wink to show he was joking.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

knowing winkquick wink

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • wink atverbCompound term

    Give one's silent approval to.

  • catch a winkverbCompound term

    Take a siesta.

  • forty winksnounCompound term

    Sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed).

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: winking (a blinking of only one eye)

trice

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.