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blink

v. · n.
US //ˈbɫɪŋk// UK //blˈɪŋk// blink
  1. 1 to close and open eyes (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to close and open your eyes very quickly, usually without thinking about it.

    to close and open the eyelids rapidly, either as an involuntary reflex or a voluntary action.

    Example

    The bright sunlight made her blink as she stepped out of the house.

    Example

    He had to blink several times to clear his vision after the optometrist shone the diagnostic light into his pupils.
  2. 2 to flash on and off (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to shine with a light that goes on and off quickly.

    to flash on and off at regular or irregular intervals, often used of electronic indicators or distant signals.

    Example

    A small red light started to blink on the camera when the battery was low.

    Example

    The cursor continued to blink rhythmically on the empty document, as if mocking his inability to produce a single sentence of the report.
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  1. 3 to hesitate or back down (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    to show surprise or fear, or to change your mind when someone pressures you.

    to show a momentary reaction of surprise, hesitation, or concession, especially in a high-stakes confrontation.

    Example

    The director didn't even blink when I asked for a higher salary.

    Example

    In the final hours of the trade negotiations, neither side was willing to blink, leading to a temporary stalemate that frustrated the mediators.
  2. 4 eye movement (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the act of closing and opening your eyes quickly.

    a single rapid closure and opening of the eyelids.

    Example

    With a quick blink, he tried to get the dust out of his eye.

    Example

    The entire sequence happened in a blink, leaving the witnesses struggling to recall the exact order of events.
  3. 5 a very short time (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a very short period of time.

    an extremely brief interval of time; almost exclusively used in the idiomatic phrase 'in the blink of an eye'.

    Example

    The summer went by in the blink of an eye.

    Example

    The digital landscape can shift in the blink of an eye, rendering yesterday's cutting-edge software completely obsolete.
  4. 6 Blackpink fan (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Music

    a name for a fan of the famous music group Blackpink.

    a collective noun or identifier for a devotee of the South Korean girl group Blackpink.

    Example

    She has been a dedicated Blink since the group first started.

    Example

    The stadium was filled with thousands of Blinks waving pink lightsticks in unison as the concert began.

  5. 7 ice reflection (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Nautical

    a bright white light on the horizon caused by ice at sea.

    a bright, yellowish-white glare on the underside of clouds or on the horizon, produced by the reflection of light from distant ice.

    Example

    The sailors spotted a blink on the horizon, warning them of ice ahead.

    Example

    The navigator identified the distinct ice blink through the fog, allowing the vessel to adjust its course before encountering the pack ice floes.
    • iceblink
Origin

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.

Idioms2 entries

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