twinkleverb [ I ]
uk/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/us/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/(of light or a shiny surface) to shine repeatedly strongly then weakly, as if flashing on and off very quickly:
The lights of the town twinkled in the distance.
The stars twinkled in the clear sky.
His brown eyes twinkled behind the gold-rimmed glasses.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Giving out light
- alight
- blink
- brighten
- burn
- burnish
- cast
- catch
- dazzle
- flicker
- gild
- glance
- glitter
- glow
- illuminate
- light
- redshift
- reflected ray
- sparkly
- strobe
- UV
See more results »
twinklenoun [ S ]
uk/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/us/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/an act of twinkling:
the twinkle of the stars/lights/diamonds
He was holding the phone with a mischievous twinkle in his eye (= expression of amusement).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Quantities & units of light
- aureole
- beam
- blip
- bright
- flash
- glare
- glint
- halo
- lustre
- lux
- pencil
- pinprick
- point
- ray
- shaft
- sheen
- shimmer
- shine
- sparkle
- sunbeam
See more results »
Idiom(s)
when sb was a (mere) twinkle in their father's eye