blink
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to close and open your eyes very quickly, usually without thinking about it.
v.to close and open the eyelids rapidly, either as an involuntary reflex or a voluntary action.
Simple“The bright sunlight made her blink as she stepped out of the house.”
In context“He had to blink several times to clear his vision after the optometrist shone the diagnostic light into his pupils.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to shine with a light that goes on and off quickly.
v.to flash on and off at regular or irregular intervals, often used of electronic indicators or distant signals.
Simple“A small red light started to blink on the camera when the battery was low.”
In context“The cursor continued to blink rhythmically on the empty document, as if mocking his inability to produce a single sentence of the report.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to show surprise or fear, or to change your mind when someone pressures you.
v.to show a momentary reaction of surprise, hesitation, or concession, especially in a high-stakes confrontation.
Simple“The director didn't even blink when I asked for a higher salary.”
In context“In the final hours of the trade negotiations, neither side was willing to blink, leading to a temporary stalemate that frustrated the mediators.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of closing and opening your eyes quickly.
n.a single rapid closure and opening of the eyelids.
Simple“With a quick blink, he tried to get the dust out of his eye.”
In context“The entire sequence happened in a blink, leaving the witnesses struggling to recall the exact order of events.”
Synonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a very short period of time.
n.an extremely brief interval of time; almost exclusively used in the idiomatic phrase 'in the blink of an eye'.
Simple“The summer went by in the blink of an eye.”
In context“The digital landscape can shift in the blink of an eye, rendering yesterday's cutting-edge software completely obsolete.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
n.a name for a fan of the famous music group Blackpink.
n.a collective noun or identifier for a devotee of the South Korean girl group Blackpink.
Simple“She has been a dedicated Blink since the group first started.”
In context“The stadium was filled with thousands of Blinks waving pink lightsticks in unison as the concert began.”
- 07 C2 Proficiency
n.a bright white light on the horizon caused by ice at sea.
n.a bright, yellowish-white glare on the underside of clouds or on the horizon, produced by the reflection of light from distant ice.
Simple“The sailors spotted a blink on the horizon, warning them of ice ahead.”
In context“The navigator identified the distinct ice blink through the fog, allowing the vessel to adjust its course before encountering the pack ice floes.”
Synonymsiceblink
From Middle English blynken, blenken, from Old English blincan (suggested by causative verb blenċan (“to deceive”); > English blench), from Proto-Germanic blinkaną, a variant of *blīkaną (“to gleam, shine”). Cognate with Dutch blinken (“to glitter, shine”), German blinken (“to flash, blink”), Danish blinke (“to flash, twinkle, wink, blink”), Swedish blinka (“to flash, blink, twinkle, wink, blink”). Related to blank, blick, blike, bleak.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.