I. blink 1 /blɪŋk/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Middle Dutch ; Origin: blinken 'to shine' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to shut and open your eyes quickly:
I blinked as I came out into the sunlight.
2 . [intransitive] if lights blink, they shine unsteadily or go on and off quickly:
The light on your answering machine is blinking.
3 . not (even) blink to not seem at all surprised:
When I told her how much it would cost, she didn’t even blink.
4 . before you could blink spoken extremely quickly
5 . blink back/away tears to shut and open your eyes in order to get rid of tears:
Lynn laughed, blinking back unexpected tears.
II. blink 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . on the blink spoken not working properly:
My computer’s on the blink again.
2 . in the blink of an eye very quickly
3 . [countable] the action of quickly shutting and opening your eyes