1
2
3
as in gleamed
to shoot forth bursts of light
fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in ignored
to secretly sympathize with or pretend ignorance of something improper or unlawful
the whole sporting world seems to wink as untold sums are bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of winked
Stayton then reportedly winked and told the protester they'd be charged with a felony.
—
Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Mesh styles made a return in pointy-toe kitten-heel pumps in neutral colors while the Babouche design was reinterpreted in a python print or black satin that winked also to comfy red carpet moments.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
The last ember of Rope A winked out.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
With both drugs, the alignment of brain waves shifted in similar ways as the animals’ consciousness waned and then winked out.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Mesh styles made a return in pointy-toe kitten-heel pumps in neutral colors while the Babouche design was reinterpreted in a python print or black satin that winked also to comfy red carpet moments.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
The last ember of Rope A winked out.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
With both drugs, the alignment of brain waves shifted in similar ways as the animals’ consciousness waned and then winked out.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winked
Verb
-
The emails show how easily some digital media figures and companies were taken advantage of; publications that were publishing hundreds of articles a day hardly blinked when a positive article about a financier showed up, or a serious-sounding foundation official asked for an image tweak.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
By 2025, those places blinked out like starlight.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Coakley’s eyes twinkled with a sense of pride.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
-
For his 2024 display, more than 900,000 lights twinkled and glowed around his property, so expect many more this season.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Another video shows Archie, 6, feeding a rhinoceros at the zoo while his red hair gleamed in the sunlight.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
18 Jan. 2026
-
The china gleamed, the Waterford sparkled, and the silver was polished.—
Peter Folan,
Boston Herald,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So, the fact that the Illinois fireworks ban is roundly ignored by Illinoisans is not a surprise to anyone, as the night skies prove on Independence Day.—
Brad Weisenstein,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Ackerly says the lesson is simple but often ignored.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Giles cranked the boat back around, leaned out from behind the steering wheel and squinted past a bright glare on the water.—
Kelso Harper,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Amid the eucalyptus groves at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, local bug enthusiast Sasha Hernandez squinted through the draping green leaves, searching for flashes of black and orange — the wings of migratory monarch butterflies traveling from west of the Rocky Mountains.—
Olivia Maule,
Mercury News,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
GloRilla flashed some aggression and hustle, playing some timely defense to help lead Team Giannis (Antetokounmpo) to a 65-58 victory over Team Anthony (Anderson).—
Bob Mehr,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
13 Feb. 2026
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After the rhythm dance score for Chock and Bates flashed across the screen, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In 2023, astronomers reported that some of these satellites were already photobombing images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, as sunlight glinted off their surfaces leaving bright trails that erase, obscure or mimic genuine cosmic signals.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Chalk dust glinted like pollen or asbestos in the sunshine coming through the window.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Officers captured the scene using a drone, which showed the man balancing on the unicycle as flames flickered just feet from passing vehicles.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, electricity in Yerevan flickered for as little as an hour a day.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winked. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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