blinking

[ bling-king ]

/ ˈblɪŋ kɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR blinking ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, adverb Chiefly British.

(used as an intensifier): He's a blinking idiot.

Origin of blinking

First recorded in 1910–15; blink + -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM blinking

blink·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby blinking

blink, blink comparator, blinker, blinkered, blinkers, blinking, blinks, blinky, blintz, blintze, bliny

Definition for blinking (2 of 2)

blink

[ blingk ]

/ blɪŋk /

verb (used without object)

to open and close the eye, especially involuntarily; wink rapidly and repeatedly.

to look with winking or half-shut eyes: I blinked at the harsh morning light.

to be startled, surprised, or dismayed (usually followed by at): She blinked at his sudden fury.

to look evasively or with indifference; ignore (often followed by at): to blink at another's eccentricities.

to shine unsteadily, dimly, or intermittently; twinkle: The light on the buoy blinked in the distance.

verb (used with object)

to open and close (the eye or eyes), usually rapidly and repeatedly; wink: She blinked her eyes in an effort to wake up.

to cause (something) to blink: We blinked the flashlight frantically, but there was no response.

to ignore deliberately; evade; shirk.

noun

an act of blinking: The faithful blink of the lighthouse.

a gleam; glimmer: There was not a blink of light anywhere.

Chiefly Scot. a glance or glimpse.

Meteorology.

iceblink.
snowblink.

Origin of blink

1250–1300; Middle English blinken (v.), variant of blenken to blench¹; cognate with Dutch, German blinken

SYNONYMS FOR blink

1 See wink¹.

8 overlook, disregard, avoid, condone.

9 wink, flicker, twinkle, flutter.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR blink ON THESAURUS.COM

Example sentences from the Web for blinking

He did not wipe away the tears, but the long lenses of the television cameras showed him blinking them back behind his glasses.

What Would Jesus Do in Gaza? The Tears of Pope Francis Point the Way |Christopher Dickey |July 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Zimmerman, who faces up to life in prison if convicted, stared ahead with a blank expression, blinking hard.

George Zimmerman Trial: The Prosecution’s Dramatic Closing Arguments |Jacqui Goddard |July 11, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
There is nothing so humbling as staring at a blinking cursor on a screen entitled “Inaugural Address.”

What Obama Should Say on Monday |Paul Begala |January 21, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Debris crumbles from the ceiling and blinking lights dangle from single strands.

Inside a Syrian Rebel City: FSA Restores Tentative Order to Al Bab |Erin Banco |August 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

With the batphone to his great pal Bibi beeping and blinking nonstop, would Romney in essence have backed Mubarak?

Arab Spring Comment Was a Romney Love Letter to the Israeli Right Wing |Michael Tomasky |July 28, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
"It's no use crying for the moon," she decided, blinking hard lest she should betray symptoms of weakness before her juniors.

For the Sake of the School |Angela Brazil
And the next moment I was standing on the sun-baked sidewalk, blinking my eyes against the glare, and breathing in deep gulps.

The Professor's Mystery |Wells Hastings
"Oh, of course I'm going through with it," scowling and blinking through his eye-glasses.

Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. July, 1877. |Various
Tegan was sitting, too, blinking at Pete as if he were a stranger, and Dorfman was trembling like a leaf.

Image of the Gods |Alan Edward Nourse
"I knew there was something else," said Mrs. Sheridan, blinking over a yawn.

The Turmoil |Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for blinking (1 of 2)

blinking

/ (ˈblɪŋkɪŋ) /

adjective, adverb

informal (intensifier) a blinking fool; a blinking good film

British Dictionary definitions for blinking (2 of 2)

blink

/ (blɪŋk) /

verb

to close and immediately reopen (the eyes or an eye), usually involuntarily

(intr) to look with the eyes partially closed, as in strong sunlight

to shine intermittently, as in signalling, or unsteadily

(tr ; foll by away, from , etc) to clear the eyes of (dust, tears, etc)

(when tr , usually foll by at) to be surprised or amazed he blinked at the splendour of the ceremony

(when intr , foll by at) to pretend not to know or see (a fault, injustice, etc)

noun

the act or an instance of blinking

a glance; glimpse

short for iceblink (def. 1)

on the blink slang not working properly

Word Origin for blink

C14: variant of blench 1; related to Middle Dutch blinken to glitter, Danish blinke to wink, Swedish blinka

Idioms and Phrases with blinking

blink

see on the blink.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

blinking

adjective, adverb Chiefly British.

Origin of blinking

OTHER WORDS FROM blinking

Words nearby blinking

Definition for blinking (2 of 2)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of blink

SYNONYMS FOR blink

Example sentences from the Web for blinking

British Dictionary definitions for blinking (1 of 2)

adjective, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for blinking (2 of 2)

verb

noun

Word Origin for blink

Idioms and Phrases with blinking

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

blinking

adjective, adverb Chiefly British.

Origin of blinking

OTHER WORDS FROM blinking

Words nearby blinking

Definition for blinking (2 of 2)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of blink

SYNONYMS FOR blink

Words related to blinking

Example sentences from the Web for blinking

British Dictionary definitions for blinking (1 of 2)

adjective, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for blinking (2 of 2)

verb

noun

Word Origin for blink

Idioms and Phrases with blinking