blink

1 of 2

verb

ˈbliŋk

blinked; blinking; blinks

Synonyms of blink next

intransitive verb

obsolete : to look glancingly : peep

: to look with half-shut eyes

: to close and open the eyes involuntarily

: to shine dimly or intermittently

: to look with too little concern

: to look with surprise or dismay

: yield, give in

each side waiting for the other to blink

transitive verb

: to cause to blink

: to remove (something, such as tears) from the eye by blinking

: to deny recognition to

blink

2 of 2

noun

chiefly Scotland : glimpse, glance

: glimmer, sparkle

: a usually involuntary shutting and opening of the eye

: iceblink

Phrases

in the blink of an eye

: in an instant

on the blink

: in or into a disabled or useless condition

the TV is on the blink

Examples of blink in a Sentence

Verb She blinked when the light flashed. Her eyes blinked when the light flashed. She blinked her eyes when the light flashed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

Kansas City took full advantage Upon Further Review: The left side of the Broncos' FG protection unit had been a blinking red light. —

The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024 Antipsychotics can cause weight gain, drowsiness, metabolic syndrome, which can increase risk of heart attack or stroke, or involuntary movements such as blinking or sticking out your tongue. —

Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024

Noun

Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. —

Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024 But coaching requires flexibility, the ability to turn left at a blink when maybe the plan was originally to go in a different direction. —

Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blink

Word History

Etymology

Verb

variant of blenk, going back to Middle English blenken "to shine, gleam, turn pale" and "to move suddenly or sharply, change direction, evade, mislead," perhaps going back to Germanic *blinkan-, nasal present based on pre-Germanic *blei̯k-, the base of *blīkan- "to shine" (or, alternatively, if *blenk- is primary, a derivative from the base of *blanka- "bright, white, without color") — more at bleach entry 1, blank entry 1

Note: In Middle English, the verbs blenken and blenchen (see blench entry 1) cannot be easily separated by sense. The variants with -k-, to judge by citations in Middle English Dictionary, are less common, though the preterit bleynte might represent either variant. There are only a few Middle English forms with -i- rather than -e-, two of them from Robert Mannyng of Brunne's Handlyng Synne (in the senses "open the eyes [while waking up]" and "lead astray"); otherwise blink is rare before the seventeenth century. — Middle English blenken is paralleled by Middle Dutch blenken, blinken "to shine," Middle Low German blenken "to shine" (also "to make bright or clean"). The late appearance of these verbs in Germanic, as well as the divergences in meaning, make it difficult to divine the original situation; moreover, the expressive nature of verbs having the do with effects of light (compare, in English, sparkle, twinkle, glitter, etc.) favors multiplication of variants. If -e- is the primary vowel in English and the continental dialects, -i- may be explained as either raising before a nasal or neutralizing of the distinction (as in modern southern American English). The meanings "evade, mislead" can be seen as a causative of "to shine" (by way of a sense "deceive by means of light, bedazzle"). It is harder to explain the merger of presumed causative forms with stative forms, however.

Noun

derivative of blink entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of blink was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blink. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

blink

1 of 2 verb

ˈbliŋk

: to look with half-shut eyes

: to close and open the eyes involuntarily

: to wink quickly

blink back tears

: to shine with a light that goes or seems to go on and off

streetlights blinking through rain

blink

2 of 2 noun

: glimmer sense 1a, sparkle

: a shutting and opening of the eyes

Medical Definition

blink

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈbliŋk

: to close and open the eyes involuntarily (as when struggling against drowsiness or when dazzled)

transitive verb

: to close and open (the eye) involuntarily

: to remove (as tears) from the eye by blinking

blink

2 of 2 noun

: a usually involuntary shutting and opening of the eye

Last Updated: 21 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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blink

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of blink in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near blink

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition