Adjacent Words

Twinkle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TWIN'KLE, v.i.
1. To sparkle; to flash at intervals; to shine with a tremulous intermitted light, or with a broken quivering light. The fixed stars twinkle; the planets do not.
These stars do not twinkle, when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures.
2. To open and shut the eye by turns; as the twinkling owl.
3. To play irregularly; as, her eyes will twinkle.
TWIN'KLE

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash [syn: twinkle, scintillation, sparkling]
2: merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance; "he had a sparkle in his eye"; "there's a perpetual twinkle in his eyes" [syn: sparkle, twinkle, spark, light] v
1: gleam or glow intermittently; "The lights were flashing" [syn: flash, blink, wink, twinkle, winkle]
2: emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; "Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?" [syn: twinkle, winkle, scintillate]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (twinkled; twinkling) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English twinclian; akin to Middle High German zwinken to blink Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to shine with a flickering or sparkling light ; scintillate 2. a. to flutter the eyelids b. to appear bright especially with merriment <his eyes twinkled> 3. to flutter or flit rapidly transitive verb 1. to cause to shine with fluctuating light 2. to flicker or flirt rapidly <twinkled the straight, red-lacquered toes — Glenway Wescott> • twinkler noun II. noun Date: 1548 1. a wink of the eyelids 2. the instant's duration of a wink ; twinkling 3. an intermittent radiance ; flicker, sparkle 4. a rapid flashing motion ; flit • twinkly adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. (of a star or light etc.) shine with rapidly intermittent gleams. 2 intr. (of the eyes) sparkle. 3 intr. (of the feet in dancing) move lightly and rapidly. 4 tr. emit (a light or signal) in quick gleams. 5 tr. blink or wink (one's eyes). --n. 1 a a sparkle or gleam of the eyes. b a blink or wink. 2 a slight flash of light; a glimmer. 3 a short rapid movement. Phrases and idioms: in a twinkle (or a twinkling or the twinkling of an eye) in an instant. Derivatives: twinkler n. twinkly adj. Etymology: OE twinclian

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Twinkle Twin"kle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Twinkled; p. pr. & vb. n. Twinkling.] [OE. twinklen, AS. twinclian; akin to OE. twinken to blink, wink, G. zwinken, zwinkern, and perhaps to E. twitch.] 1. To open and shut the eye rapidly; to blink; to wink. The owl fell a moping and twinkling. --L' Estrange.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Twinkle Twin"kle, n. 1. A closing or opening, or a quick motion, of the eye; a wink or sparkle of the eye. Suddenly, with twinkle of her eye, The damsel broke his misintended dart. --Spenser. 2. A brief flash or gleam, esp. when rapidly repeated. 3. The time of a wink; a twinkling. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(twinkles, twinkling, twinkled) 1. If a star or a light twinkles, it shines with an unsteady light which rapidly and constantly changes from bright to faint. At night, lights twinkle in distant villages across the valleys. ...a band of twinkling diamonds. VERB: V, V-ing 2. If you say that someone's eyes twinkle, you mean that their face expresses good humour or amusement. She saw her mother's eyes twinkle with amusement. VERB: V • Twinkle is also a noun. A kindly twinkle came into her eyes. N-SING

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Blink, wink. 2. Sparkle, flash. II. n. 1. Wink. 2. See twinkling.

Moby Thesaurus

bat, blink, blinking, breath, coruscate, coruscating, coruscation, coup, crack, dance, dancing, dazzle, dazzling, firefly, flash, flashing, flicker, flickering, fulgurate, fulguration, gleam, gleaming, glimmer, glimmering, glint, glisk, glisten, glistening, glister, glitter, glittering, glowworm, half a jiffy, half a mo, half a second, half a shake, illuminate, instant, jiff, jiffy, light, light up, microsecond, millisecond, minute, moment, nictitate, scintilla, scintillate, scintillating, scintillation, sec, second, shake, shimmer, shimmering, shine, shining, spangle, spark, sparking, sparkle, sparkling, split second, stroboscopic light, stroke, tick, tinsel, trice, twink, twinkling, twitch, two shakes, wink, winking