hint

[ hint ]

noun

1. an indirect, covert, or helpful suggestion; clue:

   Give me a hint as to his identity.

   Synonyms: inkling, reminder, memorandum, innuendo, insinuation, allusion

2. a very slight or hardly noticeable amount; soupçon:

   a hint of garlic in the salad dressing.

3. perceived indication or suggestion; note; intimation:

   a hint of spring in the air.

4. Obsolete. an occasion or opportunity.

verb (used with object)

1. to give a hint of:

   gray skies hinting a possible snowfall.

   Synonyms: imply

   Antonyms: declare, express

verb (used without object)

1. to make indirect suggestion or allusion; subtly imply (usually followed by at ):

   The article hinted at corruption in the mayor's office.

hint

/ hɪnt /

noun

1. a suggestion or implication given in an indirect or subtle manner

   he dropped a hint

2. a helpful piece of advice or practical suggestion
3. a small amount; trace

verb

1. whenintr, often foll by at; when tr, takes a clause as object to suggest or imply indirectly

Derived Forms

• ˈhintingly, adverb
• ˈhinter, noun
• ˈhinting, noun

Other Words From

• hinter noun
• un·hinted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hint¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; (noun) originally, “opportunity, occasion,” apparently variant of obsolete hent “grasp, act of seizing,” derivative of the verb: “to grasp, take,” Middle English henten, Old English hentan; (verb) derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hint¹

C17: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

see take a hint .

Synonym Study

Hint, intimate, insinuate, suggest denote the conveying of an idea to the mind indirectly or without full or explicit statement. To hint is to convey an idea covertly or indirectly, but intelligibly: to hint that one would like a certain present; to hint that bits of gossip might be true. To intimate is to give a barely perceptible hint, often with the purpose of influencing action: to intimate that something may be possible. To insinuate is to hint artfully, often at what one would not dare to say directly: to insinuate something against someone's reputation. Suggest denotes particularly recalling something to the mind or starting a new train of thought by means of association of ideas: The name doesn't suggest anything to me.

Example Sentences

The gaps hint that a critical flash point of America’s political impasse may be misunderstood.

From Salon

It was a hint of the sternness of the ideas that became his hallmark, if not his personality, which his friends described as gentle.

From Salon

The new album’s title may hint at sunshine and waking hours, but make no mistake, Yoakam is a night owl, a man for whom work begins around dusk and often stretches into dawn.

From Los Angeles Times

The way Musk has run his own firms may hint at what Americans can expect when he begins attempting to slash government waste.

From BBC

Hint: It can’t be found at the bottom of a serum bottle or at some luxury doctor’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• advise
• allude to
• broach
• imply
• inform
• mention
• refer to
• remind
• touch on