English Meaning & Definitions
To close and open one eye quickly as a signal, suggestion, or greeting.
- “He winked at me to let me know he was only joking.”
- “She winked as she slipped the secret note into his hand.”
To shine or twinkle intermittently, as if blinking.
- “The distant lights of the city winked in the darkness.”
- “The stars winked through the gaps in the clouds.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “winked”.
Derived from the Old English 'wincian', meaning 'to close the eyes' or 'to blink'. It shares roots with the Proto-Germanic '*winkōną', which is related to the concept of moving or bending. Historically, it evolved from a simple involuntary blink to a deliberate, social gesture used to signal shared knowledge, flirtation, or irony.
Think of a 'wink' as a 'win'—when you wink at someone, you are sharing a secret 'win' or inside joke with them.
Frequently Asked Questions About “winked”
1. What is the meaning of “winked” in English?
In English, winked (verb) is defined as: “To close and open one eye quickly as a signal, suggestion, or greeting.”.
2. How do you use “winked” in a sentence?
“He winked at me to let me know he was only joking.”
3. What are English synonyms of “winked”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “winked”?
Derived from the Old English 'wincian', meaning 'to close the eyes' or 'to blink'. It shares roots with the Proto-Germanic '*winkōną', which is related to the concept of moving or bending. Historically, it evolved from a simple involuntary blink to a deliberate, social gesture used to signal shared knowledge, flirtation, or irony.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.