blink

[ blingk ]

verb (used without object)

1. to close and reopen the eyes, especially involuntarily:

   Every time I blink, it makes the cut on my eyelid hurt.

2. to look with half-shut eyes or rapidly closing and opening eyes:

   I blinked at the harsh morning light.

3. to be startled, surprised, or dismayed (usually followed by at ):

   She blinked at his sudden fury.

4. to look evasively or with indifference; ignore (often followed by at ):

   to blink at another's eccentricities.

5. to shine unsteadily, dimly, or intermittently; twinkle; flicker:

   The light on the buoy blinked in the distance.

6. to yield or back down from a confrontation:

   All eyes are on the two nations' standoff, waiting to see who blinks.

verb (used with object)

1. to close and reopen (the eye or eyes), usually rapidly, repeatedly, or involuntarily;

   She blinked her eyes in an effort to wake up.

2. to cause (something) to twinkle or shine intermittently:

   We blinked the flashlight frantically, but there was no response.

3. Rare. to ignore deliberately; evade; shirk:

   Although deaths continue to rise, the authorities have blinked the problem.

   Synonyms: condone, avoid, disregard, overlook

noun

1. an act or instance of closing and reopening the eyes, especially repeatedly or involuntarily:

   She claimed not to be startled, but her blink betrayed her.

2. the act or condition of flickering, twinkling, or shining intermittently:

   The faithful blink of the lighthouse comforted the crew.

   Synonyms: flutter, twinkle, flicker, wink

3. a gleam; glimmer:

   There was not a blink of light anywhere.

4. Chiefly Scot. a glance or glimpse.
5. Meteorology.
   1. iceblink.
   2. snowblink.

blink

/ blɪŋk /

verb

1. to close and immediately reopen (the eyes or an eye), usually involuntarily
2. intr to look with the eyes partially closed, as in strong sunlight
3. to shine intermittently, as in signalling, or unsteadily
4. tr; foll by away, from, etc to clear the eyes of (dust, tears, etc)
5. whentr, usually foll by at to be surprised or amazed

   he blinked at the splendour of the ceremony

6. whenintr, foll by at to pretend not to know or see (a fault, injustice, etc)

noun

1. the act or an instance of blinking
2. a glance; glimpse
3. short for iceblink
4. on the blink slang.
   not working properly

Word History and Origins

Origin of blink¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb blincken, variant of blenchen, blenken “to quail, shrink back, blench” ( blench ¹ ); cognate with Dutch, German blinken

Word History and Origins

Origin of blink¹

C14: variant of blench ¹; related to Middle Dutch blinken to glitter, Danish blinke to wink, Swedish blinka

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on the blink, not in proper working order; in need of repair:

   The washing machine is on the blink again.

More idioms and phrases containing blink

see on the blink .

Synonym Study

See wink ¹.

Example Sentences

South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen says that a successful blitz lives on a knife-edge – flipping from ferocious front-foot aggression to desperate corner-flagging cover in the blink of an eye.

From BBC

The unsavoury moment was over in a blink of an eye and will now be viewed and shared endlessly as the final viral moment before tomorrow's fight.

From BBC

In August, the pair stepped out together for the Los Angeles premiere of Kravitz’s directorial debut, “Blink Twice,” a psychological thriller she also wrote and briefly appears in with Tatum.

From Los Angeles Times

Blink twice and it might appear that Catwoman and Gambit are a couple no more: Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum have reportedly split.

From Los Angeles Times

He was a marvel, really, fielding and knowing where to throw the ball in the blink of an eye.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flash
• flicker
• flutter
• sparkle
• squint