blink

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive) To close and reopen both eyes quickly.
2. (intransitive, transitive) To close and reopen both eyes quickly.
3. (intransitive) To close and reopen both eyes quickly.
4. (intransitive) To close and reopen both eyes quickly.
5. (intransitive) To close and reopen both eyes quickly.
6. (Geordie, intransitive, obsolete) To close and reopen both eyes quickly.
7. To flash on and off at regular intervals.
8. To flash on and off at regular intervals.
9. To flash on and off at regular intervals.
10. (excessive) To perform the smallest action that could solicit a response.
11. To have the slightest doubt, hesitation or remorse.
12. (transitive) To shut out of sight; to evade; to shirk.
13. To turn slightly sour, or blinky, as beer, milk, etc.
14. To teleport, mostly for short distances.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of quickly closing both eyes and opening them again.
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) The time needed to close and reopen one's eyes.
3. (countable, uncountable) A text formatting feature that causes text to disappear and reappear as a form of visual emphasis.
4. (countable, uncountable) A glimpse or glance.
5. (UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable) gleam; glimmer; sparkle
6. (countable, uncountable) The dazzling whiteness about the horizon caused by the reflection of light from fields of ice at sea; iceblink
7. (countable, in-plural, uncountable) Boughs cast where deer are to pass, in order to turn or check them.
8. (countable, uncountable) An ability that allows teleporting, mostly for short distances

Synonyms

wink

😉

twinkle

flicker

flash

nictate

nictitate

blinking

eye blink

blink away

squint

winkle

instant

flap

nictitation

press together

close

winking

nictation

beat

moment

twinkling

shimmer

flutter

close one’s eyes

wrinkles

close eyes

reflected light

close the eyes

palpebrate

blink the eye

unknow

bat

🦇

shrinkage depression

blench

clap

👏

condone

connive

dance

💃

flare

gleam

glimmer

glint

glisten

gutter

ignore

lighten

occult

peep

reflect

reflex

Translations

parpadear

blinzeln

cligner

zwinkern

guiñar

😉

clignoter

ciller

cligner des yeux

😉

pestañear

knipperen

sbattere le ciglia

piscar

pinken

Pronounced as (IPA)

/blɪŋk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: blynken

Inherited from Old English: blincan

Cognate with English: blench

Cognate with Dutch: blinken

Cognate with German: blinken

Cognate with Danish: blinke

Cognate with Swedish: blinka

In summary

From Middle English blynken, blenken, from Old English *blincan (suggested by causative verb blenċan (“to deceive”); > English blench), from Proto-Germanic *blinkaną, a variant of *blīkaną (“to gleam, shine”).
Cognate with Dutch blinken (“to glitter, shine”), German blinken (“to flash, blink”), Danish blinke (“to flash, twinkle, wink, blink”), Swedish blinka (“to flash, blink, twinkle, wink, blink”). Related to blank, blick, blike, bleak.