Definition of blink in English:

blink

verb blɪŋkblɪŋk

[no object]

1Shut and open the eyes quickly.
I blinked in astonishment
with object he blinked his eyes nervously
she blinked away her tears
Example sentencesExamples
- She waited for it to go away; she blinked, shut her eyes and opened them again to no avail.
- I grab her chin forcefully with my hand and pull her face towards mine, watching her as she blinks furiously and opens her eyes wide.
- Julia opened her eyes blinking up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom.
- We pushed it open, and stood blinking in the dark of the hall.
- I had my head lolled to one side, mouth open, eyes weakly blinking.
- The man blinked, before opening the door wider and ushering me inside.
- She says it all very quickly and I blink as I take it in.
- He blinked quickly and then turned to look at the half open door where his mother was leaning inside.
- She blinked open her bloodshot eyes and didn't really seem to see me.
- It took him a little while, but he finally opened his eyes, blinking tiredly.
- Arielle blinked twice before opening her eyes fully and staring at Luke with her usual cheery smile.
- She felt tears bristling again, and took a few deep breaths, blinking quickly.
- His voice remains level, but he blinks quickly and hard.
- ‘Okay, my turn,’ I said quickly, blinking rapidly to make up for the past few seconds.
- Eyes blinked open… only to be greeted by the sight of a small girl, making her way up the winding path as if this were no particular day.
- His mouth was open slightly and his eyes where wide open and not blinking.
- I nodded quickly, blinking as I began looking ahead of me again.
- The door opened and a tall thin man appeared, Koishi blinked and quickly stepped away.
- He opened his eyes and quickly blinked as the rainwater seeped into his eyes.
- After a few minutes, the door swung open, and Neko blinked up at me.
Synonyms
shut and open, flutter, flicker, wink, bat
technical nictitate, nictate
1. 1.1blink something backwith object Try to control or prevent tears by blinking.
  Elizabeth blinked back tears
  Example sentencesExamples
  I felt my eyes mist at the mention of my father's name, and then blinked the tears back.
  Emily found her eyes full of tears, and blinked them back.
  She looked like she wanted to cry but she blinked the tears back.
  She lay there for a few seconds before blinking the tears back.
  I blinked my tears back and followed behind Matt.
  A frown appeared on his face, as he desperately tried to blink his tears back.
  She drew in a breath, and blinked her tears back.
  Tears threatened to flood her eyes and she blinked them back, only to encourage them to overflow.
  Her gray eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back resolutely.
  My eyes began flooding with tears, but I tried to blink them back.
2. 1.2blink atusually with negative React to (something) with surprise or disapproval.
  he doesn't blink at the unsavoury aspects of his subject
  Example sentencesExamples
  Well, purchasing power is up for sure and nobody blinks at a thousand rupees for a ticket anymore.
  Victorian morality and its inherent contradictions wouldn't have blinked at the pair's duplicity.
  Neither mother nor child even blinked at the scene they created.
  We don't even blink at these expressions of violence any more.
  Why, he asks, does wearing the swastika attract widespread scorn, while no one blinks at the person wearing a hammer and sickle on his baseball cap?
  Synonyms
  be surprised, look twice, be startled, be shocked
  informal boggle
3. 1.3 Back down from a confrontation.
  the government blinked only after losing 46 of the first 48 hearings
  Example sentencesExamples
  He'll have to hope Labor blinks even if no new evidence is produced.
  Well, Katherine Graham didn't blink, and the rest, as they say, is history.
  As ever, he thinks he will be the last to blink.
  It looks like they're playing chicken to see who's going to blink first.
  Another area where enterprise customers blink is multiple sources.
  But New England's offensive line hasn't blinked much.
  "But on this issue they'll have to blink and swallow some castor oil to get what they want."
  "Each one is waiting to see who will blink first," said one foreign diplomat.
  The ancient British art of industrial brinkmanship is risky for managements and unions that try to force each other to blink first.
  On the matter of generic pharmaceuticals, it seems to be a case of who blinks first.
  With Miami, Cleveland and Tampa Bay showing interest, he can walk away from the table without blinking.
  I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink.
2(of a light) flash on and off in a regular or intermittent way.
the car's right-hand indicator was blinking
Example sentencesExamples
- It was traveling faster than most small planes and he watched the white light blinked out.
- A small red light blinked, indicating that the water level was rapidly falling.
- A red light began blinking and flashing in the room, and an alarm went berserk.
- Rebus noticed that an ambulance, blue lights blinking, was parked in front of a stationary double-decker bus.
- As they prepared to go against whatever was up ahead, the emergency lights blinked out without warning.
- There were lights flashing and monitors blinking behind them.
- I checked the phone, and, sure enough, the little red light was blinking, indicating that there was a message.
- I told her I saw it enter the atmosphere and if it was a plane we'd only see lights blinking.
- After a few seconds, the antenna stopped moving and another light blinked on.
- I mean, he could be talking until morning if they didn't have a little red light blinking there on the podium.
- You punched some buttons and a few lights blinked and in a matter of moments the computer solved a math problem.
- The overhead lights blinked once, then went out, casting the compartment in darkness.
- Lights were blinking on the signs that commanded vehicles to stop.
- They're looking for the indicator light to blink on, then off.
- At night all the lights blink and flash, and you can hear waves of screams from the rides.
- The lights blinked again before finally going out, but the candles provided the cabin with plenty of light.
- The loud slam of the door was still resonating in her mind as the van rolled away, the left-had signal light blinking only once before turning onto the main street.
- A red light blinking in the answer machine slowly flicked on and off.
- With most cameras the correct-focus indicator light will blink rapidly and the shutter release won't fire.
- As the sun set, the fluorescent jetty lights blinked on, producing pools of glittering reflections on the dark surface.
Synonyms
flash, flicker, twinkle, waver, wink, scintillate, glint, glimmer, glitter, shine (intermittently)

noun blɪŋkblɪŋk

1An act of shutting and opening the eyes very quickly.
he was observing her every blink
Example sentencesExamples
- A cat will say ‘hello’ with a slow blink, the polite cat will look away after it has blinked.
- But she watched her mother blink in surprise and take an involuntary step back away from her.
- I take long blinks and rarely look at the camera's screen.
- Voters are seen as a strange and volatile lot, who could turn bad at the blink of an eye.
- Trials with excessive eye movements, blinks, or blockage were rejected.
- Rachel and Annette both halted and turned, Rachel giving a blink of surprise at the tall and handsome man approaching.
- Michael brushed his hand across his sleepy eyes and gave a heavy blink and then looked again.
- In a projected image of a street scene various items are removed and displaced (seemingly at random) between tenth-of-a-second artificial blinks.
- The blinks and other movements of her eyes, the occasional smiles, the sleep-wake pattern are all typical of a vegetative condition, manifesting reflex reactions, not consciousness.
- Last night it emerged that police may seek to interview the girl even though she can only communicate using blinks and facial expressions.
- Vicki caught his blink of shock and silently began to pray that he could help them.
- Tying a balloon at the gate to the zoo, he catches the blink of a cashier before she rings up another fee, hungers for the moment a turtle slips into water.
- The blue eyes closed, staying shut longer and tighter than a blink would require.
- A couple of blinks as he looks from the man next to them to Rama and back…
- It is now well-known that in order to observe a blink, the first target must be masked.
- With a startled blink, Ana looked behind her to find none other then the orange pig-tailed little girl.
- In a single blink, Justine had analyzed him and the situation she was in.
- It is an eye open to the reader as it translates its complex turns, blinks, and refraction onto the page.
- Now, with a mind that is probably as sharp as it ever was, the only movements she can make are blinks and small yawns.
- So far as the vehicles go, colors can be changed in what amounts to a physical blink of an eye.
1. 1.1 A moment's hesitation.
  Feargal would have given her all this without a blink
  Example sentencesExamples
  The maids were well paid, well fed, well rested, well clothed and if some emergency cropped up they were given leave without the blink of an eye.
  Without a blink she marched to the trapdoor and began the descent, doing her best not to look Jorte in the eyes.
  If I would get the chance I would fight them tomorrow without a blink of my eye.
  The film leaps from cityscapes to stages and back without a blink.
  She accepted the whole thing without a blink… although I can't say the same about my brother and father.
2A momentary gleam of light.
out on the marshes there was a blink of light
Example sentencesExamples
- It was of similar shape as a fighter and had a flashing red light similar to passenger jet's blink.
- She gave Sasha a short blink from her light and heard the car motor start.
- It should come as no surprise that, when the slightest blink of yellow light came into view, I recklessly sped towards it.
- Yesterday we had rain, rain and more rain, a little blink of sunshine and then thick mist!
- The car responds with a blink of its lights and a short shriek.
- Then there it was again, a blink of light in the grass about three yards away.
- But a blink of sunlight was a harbinger of hope for the Edinburgh team as they gradually but determinedly fought their way back into this game.
- A fluorescent light, for instance, actually blinks on and off sixty times a second, but most people perceive the light as continuous.
- Through the veil she saw the blink of gold, the flash of a silver ring on a pale wraith's finger.
Synonyms
sparkle, twinkle, glint, gleam, shimmer, glimmer, flicker, blink, flash

Phrases

in the blink of an eye (or in a blink)

Very quickly.
software that would do lots of boring calculations in the blink of an eye
Example sentencesExamples
- Richard was a little shocked to see her go from shy and demure to forthright and direct in the blink of an eye.
- The canoe slides into the water in the blink of an eye and before you can say Jack Robinson it's twenty yards off shore.
- Human freedom has already vanished from his world, in the blink of an eye.
- He looks like a picture, frozen in time, one instant that happened in the blink of an eye, unnoticed and uncared for by the rest of the universe.
- Remember, women's fashion trends come and go in the blink of an eye.
- Dinner went by reasonably quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they were fast asleep, except for one.
- The ball began to grow and then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
- Without a care in the world, he has negotiated hairpin bends at gravity-defying angles and roared past rivals in the blink of an eye.
- He had come this close to death in the blink of an eye, and just as quickly it was taken away.
- At only 55 minutes, the album's twelve tracks go by in the blink of an eye.
Synonyms
immediately, at once, straight away, right away, instantaneously, suddenly, abruptly, all of a sudden, on the instant, at a stroke, forthwith, then and there, there and then, here and now, that minute, this minute, that very minute, this very minute, that instant, this instant

not blink an eye

Show no reaction.
Example sentencesExamples
- The point is that the character's gay but the audience doesn't blink an eye.
- She was grating Parmesan, and didn't blink an eye.
- The man didn't blink an eye at her faux pas, however, and merely got into the car after being handed the keys and drove away.
- I don't blink an eye when we're called amateur food writers, even though many bloggers make the monthly equivalent of one small magazine article sale, if not more.
- We don't blink an eye at helping the mentally retarded; the fact that many poor people are intellectually inferior only bolsters their need for assistance from the more able.
- We don't blink an eye today when we see women doing what would once be considered jobs for the boys.
- Our friends don't blink an eye at a $2,000 dinette set.
- Emma, Jeff, Tina and Darcy don't blink an eye and raise their glasses along with me.
- When his boss brought him the new assignment last fall, he didn't blink an eye.
- He didn't blink an eye when purchasing a pair of Italian loafers for more than a thousand US dollars.

on the blink

informal (of a machine) not working properly; out of order.
the computer's on the blink
Example sentencesExamples
- If the washing machine goes on the blink it has to be winched on to the ferry and it's gone for a fortnight.
- In exasperation Alan finally said: ‘Either there's something wrong with your modem or your computer's on the blink.’
- The chip fat filtering machine went on the blink and a manager decided to cut corners.
- Nowadays when your solid-state, instant-on color TV goes on the blink, you phone the TV repairman for an appointment.
- The traffic lights operated correctly last week but come Sunday morning they were dangerously on the blink again, changing colour with bewildering rapidity.
- It also had the effect of making visitors think their monitor was on the blink.
- But it's the relatively trivial things which are the most maddening and frustrating - TVs conking out, ovens going on the blink, computers crashing.
- Residents of a ‘sister’ tower block to the one where tenants have been waiting since January for lift repairs say their elevators are now on the blink.
- The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts.
- I opt for a full breakfast in my room - it arrives piping hot - the only hitch being that the cappuccino machine (there's one in each villa) is on the blink.
Synonyms
damaged, faulty, defective, unsound

Origin

Middle English: from blenk, Scots variant of blench¹, reinforced by Middle Dutch blinken 'to shine'. Early senses included 'deceive', 'flinch' (compare with blench¹), and also 'open the eyes after sleep': hence sense 1 of the verb (mid 16th century).

Rhymes

bethink, brink, cinque, clink, dink, drink, fink, Frink, gink, ink, interlink, jink, kink, link, mink, pink, plink, prink, rink, shrink, sink, skink, slink, stink, sync, think, wink, zinc

Definition of blink in US English:

blink

verbblɪŋkbliNGk

[no object]

1Shut and open the eyes quickly.
with object he blinked his eyes nervously
she blinked, momentarily blinded
Example sentencesExamples
- We pushed it open, and stood blinking in the dark of the hall.
- The man blinked, before opening the door wider and ushering me inside.
- It took him a little while, but he finally opened his eyes, blinking tiredly.
- His mouth was open slightly and his eyes where wide open and not blinking.
- She blinked open her bloodshot eyes and didn't really seem to see me.
- Arielle blinked twice before opening her eyes fully and staring at Luke with her usual cheery smile.
- His voice remains level, but he blinks quickly and hard.
- I had my head lolled to one side, mouth open, eyes weakly blinking.
- Eyes blinked open… only to be greeted by the sight of a small girl, making her way up the winding path as if this were no particular day.
- He blinked quickly and then turned to look at the half open door where his mother was leaning inside.
- She felt tears bristling again, and took a few deep breaths, blinking quickly.
- The door opened and a tall thin man appeared, Koishi blinked and quickly stepped away.
- I nodded quickly, blinking as I began looking ahead of me again.
- ‘Okay, my turn,’ I said quickly, blinking rapidly to make up for the past few seconds.
- Julia opened her eyes blinking up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom.
- He opened his eyes and quickly blinked as the rainwater seeped into his eyes.
- After a few minutes, the door swung open, and Neko blinked up at me.
- She waited for it to go away; she blinked, shut her eyes and opened them again to no avail.
- She says it all very quickly and I blink as I take it in.
- I grab her chin forcefully with my hand and pull her face towards mine, watching her as she blinks furiously and opens her eyes wide.
Synonyms
shut and open, flutter, flicker, wink, bat
1. 1.1blink backwith object Try to control or prevent (tears) by shutting and opening the eyes quickly.
  Elizabeth blinked back tears
  Example sentencesExamples
  I felt my eyes mist at the mention of my father's name, and then blinked the tears back.
  A frown appeared on his face, as he desperately tried to blink his tears back.
  She looked like she wanted to cry but she blinked the tears back.
  Emily found her eyes full of tears, and blinked them back.
  She lay there for a few seconds before blinking the tears back.
  My eyes began flooding with tears, but I tried to blink them back.
  She drew in a breath, and blinked her tears back.
  Her gray eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back resolutely.
  I blinked my tears back and followed behind Matt.
  Tears threatened to flood her eyes and she blinked them back, only to encourage them to overflow.
2. 1.2blink atusually with negative React to (something) with surprise or disapproval.
  he doesn't blink at the unsavory aspects of his subject
  Example sentencesExamples
  We don't even blink at these expressions of violence any more.
  Neither mother nor child even blinked at the scene they created.
  Why, he asks, does wearing the swastika attract widespread scorn, while no one blinks at the person wearing a hammer and sickle on his baseball cap?
  Well, purchasing power is up for sure and nobody blinks at a thousand rupees for a ticket anymore.
  Victorian morality and its inherent contradictions wouldn't have blinked at the pair's duplicity.
  Synonyms
  be surprised, look twice, be startled, be shocked
3. 1.3 Back down from a confrontation.
  the government blinked in the face of a coordinated public sector strike
  Example sentencesExamples
  Next day when the Senators asked similar questions he did not blink.
  The big oil companies did not blink and the value of their stocks has continued to rise.
2(of a light or light source) shine intermittently or unsteadily.
the icon for his email was blinking
Example sentencesExamples
- Lights were blinking on the signs that commanded vehicles to stop.
- I checked the phone, and, sure enough, the little red light was blinking, indicating that there was a message.
- There were lights flashing and monitors blinking behind them.
- I mean, he could be talking until morning if they didn't have a little red light blinking there on the podium.
- The loud slam of the door was still resonating in her mind as the van rolled away, the left-had signal light blinking only once before turning onto the main street.
- You punched some buttons and a few lights blinked and in a matter of moments the computer solved a math problem.
- The overhead lights blinked once, then went out, casting the compartment in darkness.
- I told her I saw it enter the atmosphere and if it was a plane we'd only see lights blinking.
- The lights blinked again before finally going out, but the candles provided the cabin with plenty of light.
- They're looking for the indicator light to blink on, then off.
- It was traveling faster than most small planes and he watched the white light blinked out.
- A red light blinking in the answer machine slowly flicked on and off.
- After a few seconds, the antenna stopped moving and another light blinked on.
- A small red light blinked, indicating that the water level was rapidly falling.
- Rebus noticed that an ambulance, blue lights blinking, was parked in front of a stationary double-decker bus.
- At night all the lights blink and flash, and you can hear waves of screams from the rides.
- A red light began blinking and flashing in the room, and an alarm went berserk.
- As the sun set, the fluorescent jetty lights blinked on, producing pools of glittering reflections on the dark surface.
- With most cameras the correct-focus indicator light will blink rapidly and the shutter release won't fire.
- As they prepared to go against whatever was up ahead, the emergency lights blinked out without warning.
Synonyms
flash, flicker, twinkle, waver, wink, scintillate, glint, glimmer, glitter, shine, shine intermittently

nounblɪŋkbliNGk

1An act of shutting and opening the eyes quickly.
he was observing her every blink
Example sentencesExamples
- Last night it emerged that police may seek to interview the girl even though she can only communicate using blinks and facial expressions.
- Rachel and Annette both halted and turned, Rachel giving a blink of surprise at the tall and handsome man approaching.
- Tying a balloon at the gate to the zoo, he catches the blink of a cashier before she rings up another fee, hungers for the moment a turtle slips into water.
- The blue eyes closed, staying shut longer and tighter than a blink would require.
- A couple of blinks as he looks from the man next to them to Rama and back…
- Vicki caught his blink of shock and silently began to pray that he could help them.
- Now, with a mind that is probably as sharp as it ever was, the only movements she can make are blinks and small yawns.
- In a projected image of a street scene various items are removed and displaced (seemingly at random) between tenth-of-a-second artificial blinks.
- Voters are seen as a strange and volatile lot, who could turn bad at the blink of an eye.
- Trials with excessive eye movements, blinks, or blockage were rejected.
- I take long blinks and rarely look at the camera's screen.
- So far as the vehicles go, colors can be changed in what amounts to a physical blink of an eye.
- In a single blink, Justine had analyzed him and the situation she was in.
- But she watched her mother blink in surprise and take an involuntary step back away from her.
- It is an eye open to the reader as it translates its complex turns, blinks, and refraction onto the page.
- With a startled blink, Ana looked behind her to find none other then the orange pig-tailed little girl.
- It is now well-known that in order to observe a blink, the first target must be masked.
- The blinks and other movements of her eyes, the occasional smiles, the sleep-wake pattern are all typical of a vegetative condition, manifesting reflex reactions, not consciousness.
- A cat will say ‘hello’ with a slow blink, the polite cat will look away after it has blinked.
- Michael brushed his hand across his sleepy eyes and gave a heavy blink and then looked again.
1. 1.1 A moment's hesitation.
  Thompson would have given her all this without a blink
  Example sentencesExamples
  She accepted the whole thing without a blink… although I can't say the same about my brother and father.
  Without a blink she marched to the trapdoor and began the descent, doing her best not to look Jorte in the eyes.
  If I would get the chance I would fight them tomorrow without a blink of my eye.
  The maids were well paid, well fed, well rested, well clothed and if some emergency cropped up they were given leave without the blink of an eye.
  The film leaps from cityscapes to stages and back without a blink.
2A momentary gleam of light.
Example sentencesExamples
- A fluorescent light, for instance, actually blinks on and off sixty times a second, but most people perceive the light as continuous.
- She gave Sasha a short blink from her light and heard the car motor start.
- But a blink of sunlight was a harbinger of hope for the Edinburgh team as they gradually but determinedly fought their way back into this game.
- It should come as no surprise that, when the slightest blink of yellow light came into view, I recklessly sped towards it.
- Then there it was again, a blink of light in the grass about three yards away.
- The car responds with a blink of its lights and a short shriek.
- Through the veil she saw the blink of gold, the flash of a silver ring on a pale wraith's finger.
- It was of similar shape as a fighter and had a flashing red light similar to passenger jet's blink.
- Yesterday we had rain, rain and more rain, a little blink of sunshine and then thick mist!
Synonyms
sparkle, twinkle, glint, gleam, shimmer, glimmer, flicker, blink, flash

Phrases

in the blink of an eye (or in a blink)

Very quickly.
Example sentencesExamples
- At only 55 minutes, the album's twelve tracks go by in the blink of an eye.
- The ball began to grow and then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
- Dinner went by reasonably quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they were fast asleep, except for one.
- He had come this close to death in the blink of an eye, and just as quickly it was taken away.
- He looks like a picture, frozen in time, one instant that happened in the blink of an eye, unnoticed and uncared for by the rest of the universe.
- Human freedom has already vanished from his world, in the blink of an eye.
- Richard was a little shocked to see her go from shy and demure to forthright and direct in the blink of an eye.
- Without a care in the world, he has negotiated hairpin bends at gravity-defying angles and roared past rivals in the blink of an eye.
- Remember, women's fashion trends come and go in the blink of an eye.
- The canoe slides into the water in the blink of an eye and before you can say Jack Robinson it's twenty yards off shore.
Synonyms
immediately, at once, straight away, right away, instantaneously, suddenly, abruptly, all of a sudden, on the instant, at a stroke, forthwith, then and there, there and then, here and now, that minute, this minute, that very minute, this very minute, that instant, this instant

not blink an eye

Show no reaction.
Example sentencesExamples
- She was grating Parmesan, and didn't blink an eye.
- The man didn't blink an eye at her faux pas, however, and merely got into the car after being handed the keys and drove away.
- I don't blink an eye when we're called amateur food writers, even though many bloggers make the monthly equivalent of one small magazine article sale, if not more.
- The point is that the character's gay but the audience doesn't blink an eye.
- We don't blink an eye at helping the mentally retarded; the fact that many poor people are intellectually inferior only bolsters their need for assistance from the more able.
- He didn't blink an eye when purchasing a pair of Italian loafers for more than a thousand US dollars.
- We don't blink an eye today when we see women doing what would once be considered jobs for the boys.
- Our friends don't blink an eye at a $2,000 dinette set.
- Emma, Jeff, Tina and Darcy don't blink an eye and raise their glasses along with me.
- When his boss brought him the new assignment last fall, he didn't blink an eye.

on the blink

informal (of a machine) not working properly; out of order.
the computer's on the blink
Example sentencesExamples
- Residents of a ‘sister’ tower block to the one where tenants have been waiting since January for lift repairs say their elevators are now on the blink.
- It also had the effect of making visitors think their monitor was on the blink.
- If the washing machine goes on the blink it has to be winched on to the ferry and it's gone for a fortnight.
- I opt for a full breakfast in my room - it arrives piping hot - the only hitch being that the cappuccino machine (there's one in each villa) is on the blink.
- The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts.
- In exasperation Alan finally said: ‘Either there's something wrong with your modem or your computer's on the blink.’
- The chip fat filtering machine went on the blink and a manager decided to cut corners.
- The traffic lights operated correctly last week but come Sunday morning they were dangerously on the blink again, changing colour with bewildering rapidity.
- But it's the relatively trivial things which are the most maddening and frustrating - TVs conking out, ovens going on the blink, computers crashing.
- Nowadays when your solid-state, instant-on color TV goes on the blink, you phone the TV repairman for an appointment.
Synonyms
damaged, faulty, defective, unsound

Origin

Middle English: from blenk, Scots variant of blench, reinforced by Middle Dutch blinken ‘to shine’. Early senses included ‘deceive’, ‘flinch’ (compare with blench), and also ‘open the eyes after sleep’: hence blink (sense 1 of the verb) (mid 16th century).

单词	blink
释义	Definition of blink in English: blink verb blɪŋkblɪŋk [no object] 1Shut and open the eyes quickly. I blinked in astonishment with object he blinked his eyes nervously she blinked away her tears Example sentencesExamples She waited for it to go away; she blinked, shut her eyes and opened them again to no avail. I grab her chin forcefully with my hand and pull her face towards mine, watching her as she blinks furiously and opens her eyes wide. Julia opened her eyes blinking up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom. We pushed it open, and stood blinking in the dark of the hall. I had my head lolled to one side, mouth open, eyes weakly blinking. The man blinked, before opening the door wider and ushering me inside. She says it all very quickly and I blink as I take it in. He blinked quickly and then turned to look at the half open door where his mother was leaning inside. She blinked open her bloodshot eyes and didn't really seem to see me. It took him a little while, but he finally opened his eyes, blinking tiredly. Arielle blinked twice before opening her eyes fully and staring at Luke with her usual cheery smile. She felt tears bristling again, and took a few deep breaths, blinking quickly. His voice remains level, but he blinks quickly and hard. ‘Okay, my turn,’ I said quickly, blinking rapidly to make up for the past few seconds. Eyes blinked open… only to be greeted by the sight of a small girl, making her way up the winding path as if this were no particular day. His mouth was open slightly and his eyes where wide open and not blinking. I nodded quickly, blinking as I began looking ahead of me again. The door opened and a tall thin man appeared, Koishi blinked and quickly stepped away. He opened his eyes and quickly blinked as the rainwater seeped into his eyes. After a few minutes, the door swung open, and Neko blinked up at me. Synonyms shut and open, flutter, flicker, wink, bat technical nictitate, nictate 1.1blink something backwith object Try to control or prevent tears by blinking. Elizabeth blinked back tears Example sentencesExamples I felt my eyes mist at the mention of my father's name, and then blinked the tears back. Emily found her eyes full of tears, and blinked them back. She looked like she wanted to cry but she blinked the tears back. She lay there for a few seconds before blinking the tears back. I blinked my tears back and followed behind Matt. A frown appeared on his face, as he desperately tried to blink his tears back. She drew in a breath, and blinked her tears back. Tears threatened to flood her eyes and she blinked them back, only to encourage them to overflow. Her gray eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back resolutely. My eyes began flooding with tears, but I tried to blink them back. 1.2blink atusually with negative React to (something) with surprise or disapproval. he doesn't blink at the unsavoury aspects of his subject Example sentencesExamples Well, purchasing power is up for sure and nobody blinks at a thousand rupees for a ticket anymore. Victorian morality and its inherent contradictions wouldn't have blinked at the pair's duplicity. Neither mother nor child even blinked at the scene they created. We don't even blink at these expressions of violence any more. Why, he asks, does wearing the swastika attract widespread scorn, while no one blinks at the person wearing a hammer and sickle on his baseball cap? Synonyms be surprised, look twice, be startled, be shocked informal boggle 1.3 Back down from a confrontation. the government blinked only after losing 46 of the first 48 hearings Example sentencesExamples He'll have to hope Labor blinks even if no new evidence is produced. Well, Katherine Graham didn't blink, and the rest, as they say, is history. As ever, he thinks he will be the last to blink. It looks like they're playing chicken to see who's going to blink first. Another area where enterprise customers blink is multiple sources. But New England's offensive line hasn't blinked much. "But on this issue they'll have to blink and swallow some castor oil to get what they want." "Each one is waiting to see who will blink first," said one foreign diplomat. The ancient British art of industrial brinkmanship is risky for managements and unions that try to force each other to blink first. On the matter of generic pharmaceuticals, it seems to be a case of who blinks first. With Miami, Cleveland and Tampa Bay showing interest, he can walk away from the table without blinking. I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink. 2(of a light) flash on and off in a regular or intermittent way. the car's right-hand indicator was blinking Example sentencesExamples It was traveling faster than most small planes and he watched the white light blinked out. A small red light blinked, indicating that the water level was rapidly falling. A red light began blinking and flashing in the room, and an alarm went berserk. Rebus noticed that an ambulance, blue lights blinking, was parked in front of a stationary double-decker bus. As they prepared to go against whatever was up ahead, the emergency lights blinked out without warning. There were lights flashing and monitors blinking behind them. I checked the phone, and, sure enough, the little red light was blinking, indicating that there was a message. I told her I saw it enter the atmosphere and if it was a plane we'd only see lights blinking. After a few seconds, the antenna stopped moving and another light blinked on. I mean, he could be talking until morning if they didn't have a little red light blinking there on the podium. You punched some buttons and a few lights blinked and in a matter of moments the computer solved a math problem. The overhead lights blinked once, then went out, casting the compartment in darkness. Lights were blinking on the signs that commanded vehicles to stop. They're looking for the indicator light to blink on, then off. At night all the lights blink and flash, and you can hear waves of screams from the rides. The lights blinked again before finally going out, but the candles provided the cabin with plenty of light. The loud slam of the door was still resonating in her mind as the van rolled away, the left-had signal light blinking only once before turning onto the main street. A red light blinking in the answer machine slowly flicked on and off. With most cameras the correct-focus indicator light will blink rapidly and the shutter release won't fire. As the sun set, the fluorescent jetty lights blinked on, producing pools of glittering reflections on the dark surface. Synonyms flash, flicker, twinkle, waver, wink, scintillate, glint, glimmer, glitter, shine (intermittently) noun blɪŋkblɪŋk 1An act of shutting and opening the eyes very quickly. he was observing her every blink Example sentencesExamples A cat will say ‘hello’ with a slow blink, the polite cat will look away after it has blinked. But she watched her mother blink in surprise and take an involuntary step back away from her. I take long blinks and rarely look at the camera's screen. Voters are seen as a strange and volatile lot, who could turn bad at the blink of an eye. Trials with excessive eye movements, blinks, or blockage were rejected. Rachel and Annette both halted and turned, Rachel giving a blink of surprise at the tall and handsome man approaching. Michael brushed his hand across his sleepy eyes and gave a heavy blink and then looked again. In a projected image of a street scene various items are removed and displaced (seemingly at random) between tenth-of-a-second artificial blinks. The blinks and other movements of her eyes, the occasional smiles, the sleep-wake pattern are all typical of a vegetative condition, manifesting reflex reactions, not consciousness. Last night it emerged that police may seek to interview the girl even though she can only communicate using blinks and facial expressions. Vicki caught his blink of shock and silently began to pray that he could help them. Tying a balloon at the gate to the zoo, he catches the blink of a cashier before she rings up another fee, hungers for the moment a turtle slips into water. The blue eyes closed, staying shut longer and tighter than a blink would require. A couple of blinks as he looks from the man next to them to Rama and back… It is now well-known that in order to observe a blink, the first target must be masked. With a startled blink, Ana looked behind her to find none other then the orange pig-tailed little girl. In a single blink, Justine had analyzed him and the situation she was in. It is an eye open to the reader as it translates its complex turns, blinks, and refraction onto the page. Now, with a mind that is probably as sharp as it ever was, the only movements she can make are blinks and small yawns. So far as the vehicles go, colors can be changed in what amounts to a physical blink of an eye. 1.1 A moment's hesitation. Feargal would have given her all this without a blink Example sentencesExamples The maids were well paid, well fed, well rested, well clothed and if some emergency cropped up they were given leave without the blink of an eye. Without a blink she marched to the trapdoor and began the descent, doing her best not to look Jorte in the eyes. If I would get the chance I would fight them tomorrow without a blink of my eye. The film leaps from cityscapes to stages and back without a blink. She accepted the whole thing without a blink… although I can't say the same about my brother and father. 2A momentary gleam of light. out on the marshes there was a blink of light Example sentencesExamples It was of similar shape as a fighter and had a flashing red light similar to passenger jet's blink. She gave Sasha a short blink from her light and heard the car motor start. It should come as no surprise that, when the slightest blink of yellow light came into view, I recklessly sped towards it. Yesterday we had rain, rain and more rain, a little blink of sunshine and then thick mist! The car responds with a blink of its lights and a short shriek. Then there it was again, a blink of light in the grass about three yards away. But a blink of sunlight was a harbinger of hope for the Edinburgh team as they gradually but determinedly fought their way back into this game. A fluorescent light, for instance, actually blinks on and off sixty times a second, but most people perceive the light as continuous. Through the veil she saw the blink of gold, the flash of a silver ring on a pale wraith's finger. Synonyms sparkle, twinkle, glint, gleam, shimmer, glimmer, flicker, blink, flash Phrases in the blink of an eye (or in a blink) Very quickly. software that would do lots of boring calculations in the blink of an eye Example sentencesExamples Richard was a little shocked to see her go from shy and demure to forthright and direct in the blink of an eye. The canoe slides into the water in the blink of an eye and before you can say Jack Robinson it's twenty yards off shore. Human freedom has already vanished from his world, in the blink of an eye. He looks like a picture, frozen in time, one instant that happened in the blink of an eye, unnoticed and uncared for by the rest of the universe. Remember, women's fashion trends come and go in the blink of an eye. Dinner went by reasonably quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they were fast asleep, except for one. The ball began to grow and then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared. Without a care in the world, he has negotiated hairpin bends at gravity-defying angles and roared past rivals in the blink of an eye. He had come this close to death in the blink of an eye, and just as quickly it was taken away. At only 55 minutes, the album's twelve tracks go by in the blink of an eye. Synonyms immediately, at once, straight away, right away, instantaneously, suddenly, abruptly, all of a sudden, on the instant, at a stroke, forthwith, then and there, there and then, here and now, that minute, this minute, that very minute, this very minute, that instant, this instant not blink an eye Show no reaction. Example sentencesExamples The point is that the character's gay but the audience doesn't blink an eye. She was grating Parmesan, and didn't blink an eye. The man didn't blink an eye at her faux pas, however, and merely got into the car after being handed the keys and drove away. I don't blink an eye when we're called amateur food writers, even though many bloggers make the monthly equivalent of one small magazine article sale, if not more. We don't blink an eye at helping the mentally retarded; the fact that many poor people are intellectually inferior only bolsters their need for assistance from the more able. We don't blink an eye today when we see women doing what would once be considered jobs for the boys. Our friends don't blink an eye at a $2,000 dinette set. Emma, Jeff, Tina and Darcy don't blink an eye and raise their glasses along with me. When his boss brought him the new assignment last fall, he didn't blink an eye. He didn't blink an eye when purchasing a pair of Italian loafers for more than a thousand US dollars. on the blink informal (of a machine) not working properly; out of order. the computer's on the blink Example sentencesExamples If the washing machine goes on the blink it has to be winched on to the ferry and it's gone for a fortnight. In exasperation Alan finally said: ‘Either there's something wrong with your modem or your computer's on the blink.’ The chip fat filtering machine went on the blink and a manager decided to cut corners. Nowadays when your solid-state, instant-on color TV goes on the blink, you phone the TV repairman for an appointment. The traffic lights operated correctly last week but come Sunday morning they were dangerously on the blink again, changing colour with bewildering rapidity. It also had the effect of making visitors think their monitor was on the blink. But it's the relatively trivial things which are the most maddening and frustrating - TVs conking out, ovens going on the blink, computers crashing. Residents of a ‘sister’ tower block to the one where tenants have been waiting since January for lift repairs say their elevators are now on the blink. The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts. I opt for a full breakfast in my room - it arrives piping hot - the only hitch being that the cappuccino machine (there's one in each villa) is on the blink. Synonyms damaged, faulty, defective, unsound Origin Middle English: from blenk, Scots variant of blench¹, reinforced by Middle Dutch blinken 'to shine'. Early senses included 'deceive', 'flinch' (compare with blench¹), and also 'open the eyes after sleep': hence sense 1 of the verb (mid 16th century). Rhymes bethink, brink, cinque, clink, dink, drink, fink, Frink, gink, ink, interlink, jink, kink, link, mink, pink, plink, prink, rink, shrink, sink, skink, slink, stink, sync, think, wink, zinc verb.1 phr. Definition of blink in US English: blink verbblɪŋkbliNGk [no object] 1Shut and open the eyes quickly. with object he blinked his eyes nervously she blinked, momentarily blinded Example sentencesExamples We pushed it open, and stood blinking in the dark of the hall. The man blinked, before opening the door wider and ushering me inside. It took him a little while, but he finally opened his eyes, blinking tiredly. His mouth was open slightly and his eyes where wide open and not blinking. She blinked open her bloodshot eyes and didn't really seem to see me. Arielle blinked twice before opening her eyes fully and staring at Luke with her usual cheery smile. His voice remains level, but he blinks quickly and hard. I had my head lolled to one side, mouth open, eyes weakly blinking. Eyes blinked open… only to be greeted by the sight of a small girl, making her way up the winding path as if this were no particular day. He blinked quickly and then turned to look at the half open door where his mother was leaning inside. She felt tears bristling again, and took a few deep breaths, blinking quickly. The door opened and a tall thin man appeared, Koishi blinked and quickly stepped away. I nodded quickly, blinking as I began looking ahead of me again. ‘Okay, my turn,’ I said quickly, blinking rapidly to make up for the past few seconds. Julia opened her eyes blinking up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom. He opened his eyes and quickly blinked as the rainwater seeped into his eyes. After a few minutes, the door swung open, and Neko blinked up at me. She waited for it to go away; she blinked, shut her eyes and opened them again to no avail. She says it all very quickly and I blink as I take it in. I grab her chin forcefully with my hand and pull her face towards mine, watching her as she blinks furiously and opens her eyes wide. Synonyms shut and open, flutter, flicker, wink, bat 1.1blink backwith object Try to control or prevent (tears) by shutting and opening the eyes quickly. Elizabeth blinked back tears Example sentencesExamples I felt my eyes mist at the mention of my father's name, and then blinked the tears back. A frown appeared on his face, as he desperately tried to blink his tears back. She looked like she wanted to cry but she blinked the tears back. Emily found her eyes full of tears, and blinked them back. She lay there for a few seconds before blinking the tears back. My eyes began flooding with tears, but I tried to blink them back. She drew in a breath, and blinked her tears back. Her gray eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back resolutely. I blinked my tears back and followed behind Matt. Tears threatened to flood her eyes and she blinked them back, only to encourage them to overflow. 1.2blink atusually with negative React to (something) with surprise or disapproval. he doesn't blink at the unsavory aspects of his subject Example sentencesExamples We don't even blink at these expressions of violence any more. Neither mother nor child even blinked at the scene they created. Why, he asks, does wearing the swastika attract widespread scorn, while no one blinks at the person wearing a hammer and sickle on his baseball cap? Well, purchasing power is up for sure and nobody blinks at a thousand rupees for a ticket anymore. Victorian morality and its inherent contradictions wouldn't have blinked at the pair's duplicity. Synonyms be surprised, look twice, be startled, be shocked 1.3 Back down from a confrontation. the government blinked in the face of a coordinated public sector strike Example sentencesExamples Next day when the Senators asked similar questions he did not blink. The big oil companies did not blink and the value of their stocks has continued to rise. 2(of a light or light source) shine intermittently or unsteadily. the icon for his email was blinking Example sentencesExamples Lights were blinking on the signs that commanded vehicles to stop. I checked the phone, and, sure enough, the little red light was blinking, indicating that there was a message. There were lights flashing and monitors blinking behind them. I mean, he could be talking until morning if they didn't have a little red light blinking there on the podium. The loud slam of the door was still resonating in her mind as the van rolled away, the left-had signal light blinking only once before turning onto the main street. You punched some buttons and a few lights blinked and in a matter of moments the computer solved a math problem. The overhead lights blinked once, then went out, casting the compartment in darkness. I told her I saw it enter the atmosphere and if it was a plane we'd only see lights blinking. The lights blinked again before finally going out, but the candles provided the cabin with plenty of light. They're looking for the indicator light to blink on, then off. It was traveling faster than most small planes and he watched the white light blinked out. A red light blinking in the answer machine slowly flicked on and off. After a few seconds, the antenna stopped moving and another light blinked on. A small red light blinked, indicating that the water level was rapidly falling. Rebus noticed that an ambulance, blue lights blinking, was parked in front of a stationary double-decker bus. At night all the lights blink and flash, and you can hear waves of screams from the rides. A red light began blinking and flashing in the room, and an alarm went berserk. As the sun set, the fluorescent jetty lights blinked on, producing pools of glittering reflections on the dark surface. With most cameras the correct-focus indicator light will blink rapidly and the shutter release won't fire. As they prepared to go against whatever was up ahead, the emergency lights blinked out without warning. Synonyms flash, flicker, twinkle, waver, wink, scintillate, glint, glimmer, glitter, shine, shine intermittently nounblɪŋkbliNGk 1An act of shutting and opening the eyes quickly. he was observing her every blink Example sentencesExamples Last night it emerged that police may seek to interview the girl even though she can only communicate using blinks and facial expressions. Rachel and Annette both halted and turned, Rachel giving a blink of surprise at the tall and handsome man approaching. Tying a balloon at the gate to the zoo, he catches the blink of a cashier before she rings up another fee, hungers for the moment a turtle slips into water. The blue eyes closed, staying shut longer and tighter than a blink would require. A couple of blinks as he looks from the man next to them to Rama and back… Vicki caught his blink of shock and silently began to pray that he could help them. Now, with a mind that is probably as sharp as it ever was, the only movements she can make are blinks and small yawns. In a projected image of a street scene various items are removed and displaced (seemingly at random) between tenth-of-a-second artificial blinks. Voters are seen as a strange and volatile lot, who could turn bad at the blink of an eye. Trials with excessive eye movements, blinks, or blockage were rejected. I take long blinks and rarely look at the camera's screen. So far as the vehicles go, colors can be changed in what amounts to a physical blink of an eye. In a single blink, Justine had analyzed him and the situation she was in. But she watched her mother blink in surprise and take an involuntary step back away from her. It is an eye open to the reader as it translates its complex turns, blinks, and refraction onto the page. With a startled blink, Ana looked behind her to find none other then the orange pig-tailed little girl. It is now well-known that in order to observe a blink, the first target must be masked. The blinks and other movements of her eyes, the occasional smiles, the sleep-wake pattern are all typical of a vegetative condition, manifesting reflex reactions, not consciousness. A cat will say ‘hello’ with a slow blink, the polite cat will look away after it has blinked. Michael brushed his hand across his sleepy eyes and gave a heavy blink and then looked again. 1.1 A moment's hesitation. Thompson would have given her all this without a blink Example sentencesExamples She accepted the whole thing without a blink… although I can't say the same about my brother and father. Without a blink she marched to the trapdoor and began the descent, doing her best not to look Jorte in the eyes. If I would get the chance I would fight them tomorrow without a blink of my eye. The maids were well paid, well fed, well rested, well clothed and if some emergency cropped up they were given leave without the blink of an eye. The film leaps from cityscapes to stages and back without a blink. 2A momentary gleam of light. Example sentencesExamples A fluorescent light, for instance, actually blinks on and off sixty times a second, but most people perceive the light as continuous. She gave Sasha a short blink from her light and heard the car motor start. But a blink of sunlight was a harbinger of hope for the Edinburgh team as they gradually but determinedly fought their way back into this game. It should come as no surprise that, when the slightest blink of yellow light came into view, I recklessly sped towards it. Then there it was again, a blink of light in the grass about three yards away. The car responds with a blink of its lights and a short shriek. Through the veil she saw the blink of gold, the flash of a silver ring on a pale wraith's finger. It was of similar shape as a fighter and had a flashing red light similar to passenger jet's blink. Yesterday we had rain, rain and more rain, a little blink of sunshine and then thick mist! Synonyms sparkle, twinkle, glint, gleam, shimmer, glimmer, flicker, blink, flash Phrases in the blink of an eye (or in a blink) Very quickly. Example sentencesExamples At only 55 minutes, the album's twelve tracks go by in the blink of an eye. The ball began to grow and then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared. Dinner went by reasonably quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they were fast asleep, except for one. He had come this close to death in the blink of an eye, and just as quickly it was taken away. He looks like a picture, frozen in time, one instant that happened in the blink of an eye, unnoticed and uncared for by the rest of the universe. Human freedom has already vanished from his world, in the blink of an eye. Richard was a little shocked to see her go from shy and demure to forthright and direct in the blink of an eye. Without a care in the world, he has negotiated hairpin bends at gravity-defying angles and roared past rivals in the blink of an eye. Remember, women's fashion trends come and go in the blink of an eye. The canoe slides into the water in the blink of an eye and before you can say Jack Robinson it's twenty yards off shore. Synonyms immediately, at once, straight away, right away, instantaneously, suddenly, abruptly, all of a sudden, on the instant, at a stroke, forthwith, then and there, there and then, here and now, that minute, this minute, that very minute, this very minute, that instant, this instant not blink an eye Show no reaction. Example sentencesExamples She was grating Parmesan, and didn't blink an eye. The man didn't blink an eye at her faux pas, however, and merely got into the car after being handed the keys and drove away. I don't blink an eye when we're called amateur food writers, even though many bloggers make the monthly equivalent of one small magazine article sale, if not more. The point is that the character's gay but the audience doesn't blink an eye. We don't blink an eye at helping the mentally retarded; the fact that many poor people are intellectually inferior only bolsters their need for assistance from the more able. He didn't blink an eye when purchasing a pair of Italian loafers for more than a thousand US dollars. We don't blink an eye today when we see women doing what would once be considered jobs for the boys. Our friends don't blink an eye at a $2,000 dinette set. Emma, Jeff, Tina and Darcy don't blink an eye and raise their glasses along with me. When his boss brought him the new assignment last fall, he didn't blink an eye. on the blink informal (of a machine) not working properly; out of order. the computer's on the blink Example sentencesExamples Residents of a ‘sister’ tower block to the one where tenants have been waiting since January for lift repairs say their elevators are now on the blink. It also had the effect of making visitors think their monitor was on the blink. If the washing machine goes on the blink it has to be winched on to the ferry and it's gone for a fortnight. I opt for a full breakfast in my room - it arrives piping hot - the only hitch being that the cappuccino machine (there's one in each villa) is on the blink. The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts. In exasperation Alan finally said: ‘Either there's something wrong with your modem or your computer's on the blink.’ The chip fat filtering machine went on the blink and a manager decided to cut corners. The traffic lights operated correctly last week but come Sunday morning they were dangerously on the blink again, changing colour with bewildering rapidity. But it's the relatively trivial things which are the most maddening and frustrating - TVs conking out, ovens going on the blink, computers crashing. Nowadays when your solid-state, instant-on color TV goes on the blink, you phone the TV repairman for an appointment. Synonyms damaged, faulty, defective, unsound Origin Middle English: from blenk, Scots variant of blench, reinforced by Middle Dutch blinken ‘to shine’. Early senses included ‘deceive’, ‘flinch’ (compare with blench), and also ‘open the eyes after sleep’: hence blink (sense 1 of the verb) (mid 16th century). verb.1 phr.
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