blinking

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle of blink.

   Blinking rapidly, he tried to clear the dust from his eyes.

   She noticed the cursor blinking on the otherwise empty screen.

   Note

   The verb form behind progressive tenses (she was blinking) and behind participial phrases that open a sentence (Blinking rapidly, he…). It usually takes no object, but it can take one when the eyes clear something away, as in blinking the dust from his eyes. The same spelling serves as an adjective before a noun. As a gerund it also hardens into a countable noun with its own plural, blinkings.

2. 2
   adjective

   Flashing on and off in quick succession, or opening and closing the eyes repeatedly.

   A blinking red light warned drivers about the road work ahead.

   The dashboard was full of blinking indicators after the engine fault.

   Similarflickering

   Oppositesteady

3. 3
   adjectiveslangeuphemisticUK

   In British slang, a mild, polite substitute for "bloody," used to express irritation or to add emphasis.

   He couldn't get the blinking machine to start no matter what he tried.

   Mind your own blinking business and let me finish my tea.

   Similarflipping, blooming, blasted, ruddy, bloody

   Note

   A swearword with the swearing taken out: it keeps the rhythm and emphasis of bloody while staying mild and polite. In speech it is often clipped to blinkin', as in 101 Dalmatians (1961): "the blinkin' papers." It always sits directly before its noun and never takes more or most. Context separates it from the literal "flashing" adjective, because a blinking telly is merely annoying, not lit up.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   The action of opening and closing the eyes repeatedly, or of a light flashing on and off.

   Excessive blinking can be a sign of stress or eye strain.

   The nervous blinking gave away just how anxious he really was.

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