wink

verb

/wɪŋk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they wink	/wɪŋk/ /wɪŋk/
he / she / it winks	/wɪŋks/ /wɪŋks/
past simple winked	/wɪŋkt/ /wɪŋkt/
past participle winked	/wɪŋkt/ /wɪŋkt/
-ing form winking	/ˈwɪŋkɪŋ/ /ˈwɪŋkɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive] wink (at somebody) to close one eye and open it again quickly, especially as a private signal to somebody, or to show something is a joke
- He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was.
compare blink
Extra Examples
- He winked broadly at Lucinda.
- I saw him wink at her.
- She winked at me, and I winked back.
- She winked knowingly at Jack.
Topics Appearancec2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- broadly
- cheekily
- conspiratorially
- …
preposition
- at
See full entry
[intransitive] to shine with an unsteady light; to flash on and off synonym blink
- We could see the lights of the ship winking in the distance.

Word OriginOld English wincian ‘close the eyes’, of Germanic origin; related to German winken ‘to wave’, also to wince.

noun

/wɪŋk/

Idioms

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Idioms

a nod and a wink

(also a nod is as good as a wink)

used to say that a suggestion or a hint will be understood, without anything more being said
- Everything could be done by a nod and a wink.

not get/have a wink of sleep | not sleep a wink

to not be able to sleep
- I didn't get a wink of sleep last night.
- I hardly slept a wink.

nudge nudge, wink wink

(also a nudge and a wink)

used to suggest something to do with sex without actually saying it
- They've been spending a lot of time together, nudge nudge, wink wink.

tip somebody the wink | tip the wink to somebody

(British English, informal) to give somebody secret information that they can use to gain an advantage for themselves
- There’s no way he would have bought those shares if someone in the company hadn’t tipped him the wink.