twinkle
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to shine with a light that changes from bright to faint very quickly.
v.to emit or reflect light in an intermittent or flickering manner.
Simple“We sat on the balcony and watched the city lights twinkle in the distance.”
In context“From the high mountain pass, the distant village lamps appeared to twinkle through the thin, freezing air.”
UsageOften used to describe stars or distant artificial lights.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.when your eyes look bright because you are happy, amused, or being playful.
v.to exhibit a bright, sparkling appearance in the eyes, typically signifying amusement, mischief, or joy.
Simple“His eyes began to twinkle as he prepared to tell a funny story.”
In context“The professor's eyes would twinkle whenever a student challenged his theories with a particularly clever argument.”
UsageUsually takes 'with' followed by a noun like 'mischief' or 'delight'.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a small, quick flash of light.
n.a brief or intermittent spark or glimmer of light.
Simple“There was a tiny twinkle of light coming from the lighthouse on the horizon.”
In context“The steady twinkle of the satellite moving across the night sky caught the astronomer's attention.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a bright, happy look in someone's eyes.
n.a sparkling quality in the eyes that suggests amusement or a secret joke.
Simple“She had a mischievous twinkle in her eye when she handed me the gift.”
In context“Despite his stern voice, the subtle twinkle in his eyes revealed that he was not actually angry.”
UsageCommonly used in the idiomatic phrase 'a twinkle in one's eye'.
From Middle English twinclen, twynclen, from Old English twinclian (“to twinkle”), equivalent to twink (“to wink; blink; twinkle”) + -le (frequentative suffix). Compare German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.