# wink

Pronunciation: say "WINGK" /ˈwɪŋk/

## Verb

1. To close and open one eye briefly as a signal or hint, usually suggesting a shared secret.
   - Simple: To briefly close and open one eye to send someone a secret or playful message.
   - _Regular customers wink at the bartender to order their usual._
   - _She winked a silent warning to her colleague during the meeting._
4. To close and open the eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.
   - Simple: To shut and open your eyes quickly without meaning to.
   - _She winked against the harsh stage lights without thinking._
   - _Drivers often wink when a bug strikes the windshield._
5. To deliberately overlook something wrong; to pretend not to notice, usually followed by at.
   - Simple: To ignore something wrong on purpose, as if you did not see it.
   - _The authorities winked at the illegal stalls for years._
   - _Some referees wink at minor fouls to keep the game flowing._
6. To gleam unsteadily or intermittently; to twinkle or flicker.
   - Simple: To shine on and off in a quick, flickering way.
   - _Distant city lights winked through the evening haze._
   - _Fireflies wink across the meadow on warm summer nights._
10. To shut the eyes.
   - Simple: To close your eyes.
   - _He winked against the swirling sand on the beach._
   - _Children wink the moment the camera flash goes off._

## Noun

2. A brief closing of one eye, or the signal or message communicated by doing so.
   - Simple: A quick closing of one eye to send a signal or secret message.
   - _A conspiratorial wink passed between the two old friends._
   - _Her wink across the table told everyone the surprise was still on._
3. A brief period of sleep, especially in the phrase forty winks.
   - Simple: A short period of sleep.
   - _He caught forty winks before the late shift began._
   - _A quick wink on the train was all the rest he needed._
7. A very brief moment; an instant.
   - Simple: A very short moment of time.
   - _The storm passed in a wink, leaving clear skies behind._
   - _She could read a page in a wink._
8. A subtle hint or indirect allusion to something.
   - Simple: A small hint that points at something without saying it directly.
   - _The novel ends with a knowing wink toward its sequel._
   - _There was a sly wink to classic films throughout the script._
9. The smallest possible amount.
   - Simple: The tiniest possible amount of something.
   - _The witness offered not a wink of useful evidence._
   - _He felt not a wink of guilt about the decision._
11. A small disc used in the game of tiddlywinks.
   - Simple: A small flat disc used in the game of tiddlywinks.
   - _He pressed the edge of his wink to send it flying._
   - _The winks scattered across the mat after a clumsy shot._
12. A small edible sea snail; a periwinkle. *(slang, British)*
   - Simple: A small sea snail that people can eat.
   - _Cockles and winks were sold from barrows along the seafront._
   - _A single wink made a salty, chewy mouthful._

## Verb

13. To have one's eyes shut in sleep; to be asleep. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To shut your eyes and fall asleep.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–10, 13** — From Middle English wynken, from Old English wincian ("to wink, close the eyes, blink"), going back to Proto-West Germanic *winkōn ("to close one's eyes") and Proto-Indo-European *weng- ("to bow, bend, curve"). It is related to German winken ("to nod, beckon") and Dutch wenken ("to beckon").
**Meaning 11** — A clipping of tiddlywink.
**Meaning 12** — A clipping of periwinkle.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wink (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).