as in glancing
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in squinting
to rapidly open and close one's eyes
she winked several times to get the dust and grit out of her eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in twinkling
to shine with light at regular intervals
a lighthouse was winking in the distance
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in gleaming
to shoot forth bursts of light
fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in ignoring
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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of winking
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Another two-bedroom co-op, which also happens to be within winking distance of one of the best coffee shops in the neighborhood.
—Katie McDonough, Curbed, 9 Feb. 2026
But Verbinski juices it up with some cool menace in snake-like cables and a vicious army of robotic toys, which might be the director’s winking homage to Barbarella.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Maybe there’s some wink-winking, nudge-nudging going on, with one side or the other assuming an unspoken deal has been cut.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
Either way, Sally and Craig both seem to confirm it, winking and nodding their way to acknowledging that something went down between them sometime in the recent past.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Mainly hinged on wood and metal elements, the interior concept of the store also features bespoke details subtly nodding to Milan, like the wooden panels marking the undulated ceiling and winking to the Duomo cathedral’s pinnacles.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025
The surreal result is a representation of a chronological inbox that has Quora and Flipboard email blasts interspersed with exchanges with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and winking emails to Steve Bannon.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
James later shared the ad on social media with winking and tongue-sticking-out emojis; much of his audience, however, was not so amused, and one lifelong fan even sued.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
In the film’s first trailer, its biting energy is on full display, as its winking humor.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Another two-bedroom co-op, which also happens to be within winking distance of one of the best coffee shops in the neighborhood.
—Katie McDonough, Curbed, 9 Feb. 2026
But Verbinski juices it up with some cool menace in snake-like cables and a vicious army of robotic toys, which might be the director’s winking homage to Barbarella.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Maybe there’s some wink-winking, nudge-nudging going on, with one side or the other assuming an unspoken deal has been cut.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
Either way, Sally and Craig both seem to confirm it, winking and nodding their way to acknowledging that something went down between them sometime in the recent past.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Mainly hinged on wood and metal elements, the interior concept of the store also features bespoke details subtly nodding to Milan, like the wooden panels marking the undulated ceiling and winking to the Duomo cathedral’s pinnacles.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025
The surreal result is a representation of a chronological inbox that has Quora and Flipboard email blasts interspersed with exchanges with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and winking emails to Steve Bannon.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
James later shared the ad on social media with winking and tongue-sticking-out emojis; much of his audience, however, was not so amused, and one lifelong fan even sued.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winking
Adjective
-
Glaser, from a very glancing stylistic consideration, looks like a multicam by comparison.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Aug. 2024
-
Even so, Joonam is too scattershot and distanced from culture and politics to resonate with the news — potentially the film’s greatest draw — in more than a glancing way.—
Caryn James,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2023
Verb
-
Those last 20 minutes are pretty engaging, even if some of that engagement is squinting to see and interpret what’s going on.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
-
View gallery - 4 images Soldering frequently involves hunching in and squinting at the fiddly task at hand, or performing that task under an unmoving magnifying glass.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The team Pep Guardiola built in the early 2010s, combining the wonderful passing of Xavi Hernandez and Andrés Iniesta with the twinkling magic of Lionel Messi, will forever be remembered.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The stars are twinkling down at them, adding cool light to the 91-degree heat.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And a gleaming smile that is as inviting as her singalongs.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
-
After years of struggling to find white-collar tenants for a gleaming office high-rise on the edge of downtown, developer Garrett Lee just began converting its office space into close to 700 apartments.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Some readers refuse to join one, stubbornly persisting in flipping to one section and ignoring the rest.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Hustle culture praised women for ignoring their instincts in the name of productivity.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Its primary food source is the winter firefly (Diaphanes lampyroides), which attracts mates with a continuous, non-flashing light.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
By labeling neurons with fluorescent proteins, each neural impulse appears as a tiny flash of light—like stars blinking in the dark.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
-
On a recent chilly afternoon in Copenhagen, sitting outside a cafe with blinking heat lamps, Company Sergeant Major Henrik Bager shared a Danish expression.—
Barbara Sprunt,
NPR,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The restaurant is set in a historic, 1850s-era building, with an intimate but lively dining room decked with glistening chandeliers and warm candlelight flickering on cream brick walls.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But now, with recent events in Minnesota, that 2020 spirit seems to be tentatively flickering back to life.—
Jemele Hill,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Winking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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