I. ˈwiŋk verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English winken, from Old English wincian; akin to Middle Dutch winken to stagger, wink, Old High German winchan to stagger, wink, wankōn to stagger, totter, flicker, Old Norse vakka to stray, hover, Lithuanian vengti to avoid, Sanskrit vaṅgati he limps — more at prevaricate
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to close one's eyes
kept my eyes shut … I winked as close as ever I could — Sir Walter Scott
b. obsolete : to take a nap : sleep
2.
a. : to give a glance or sign with the eyes
saw her mother wink at her across the room and knew she would have to leave
b. : to shut one eye briefly in a teasing or jocular manner
never did any harm to wink at a pretty girl
grinned and winked knowingly
3. : to close and open the eyelids quickly and involuntarily
staring at each other as if a bet were depending on the first man who winked — George Eliot
4. : to avoid seeing or noting something as if by closing the eyes : connive — usually used with at
have winked at his frequent absences from school — George Sampson
stubbornly refused to wink at a violation of the law — Oscar Handlin
5. : to gleam or flash fitfully or intermittently : flicker , twinkle
at twilight, when the little fires wink in the mountain dusk — E.W.Smith
the house windows are winking with yellow lamplight — Phil Stong
copper pans wink on the walls — Katherine Mansfield
6.
a. : to terminate suddenly : come to an end — usually used with out
when his employment … winked out he had bought a one-way ticket — Ellery Sedgwick
the spark of enterprise has by no means winked out in this young generation — Dixon Wecter
b. : to stop shining — usually used with out
the lights winked out along the bridge — Elizabeth Enright
7. : to signal a message with a light
the destroyer was winking urgently — Vincent McHugh
transitive verb
1. : to cause to open and shut
winked his eyelids once or twice and squared his jaw — Donn Byrne
2. : to affect or influence by or as if by blinking the eyes
replied, shaking her head, winking back the tears — Frank Norris
3. : to signal with (a light) especially by blinking
winking their flashlights hopefully — M.W.Childs
4. : to disregard or ignore intentionally
there was no winking the matter: these two were enemies — Georgiana Pentlarge
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from winken to wink
1.
a. : a closing of the eyelids in or as if in sleep : a brief period of sleep : nap
sleep was one wink — George Meredith
I didn't get a wink on the night — Hall Caine
b. obsolete : death
give mine enemy a lasting wink — Shakespeare
2.
a. : a glance or sign with or as if with the eyes usually of admonition, command, direction, or invitation
the bloke … tipped him the wink — Richard Llewellyn
had the wink from Moscow — New Republic
b. : an act of winking ; especially : the brief shutting of one eye
a wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread — Clement Moore
3.
a. : the time required to close and open an eye : an exceedingly brief period : instant
quick as a wink
he was gone in a wink
b. : the smallest possible amount
so dark, we couldn't see a wink
an average of a wink over 10 p.c. for the eighteen years — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin
4. : a quick closing and opening of the eyelids : blink
several winks brushed the tears away
the eyelid … is likely to give a small reflex wink to any sudden stimulus — R.S.Woodworth
5. : an intermittent gleam : flash , sparkle
the planes were little silver winks way out to the west — Joseph Dever
saw the wink at her bow and thought she was signaling — Vincent McHugh
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
Britain : periwinkle II
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: short for tiddledywink
: a small disk used in the game tiddledywinks — called also tiddledywink