wink

B2 · Upper Intermediate Literary

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

v. to shine or gleam intermittently; to flicker or twinkle.

“The distant lights of the city winked in the dark night.”

“The lighthouse beam winked rhythmically on the horizon, providing a steady guide for the ships navigating the treacherous coastal waters.”

C2 · Proficiency Formal · Literary

v. to pretend not to see something bad that is happening.

v. to deliberately overlook or ignore an occurrence, typically something illicit or improper.

“The guards were paid to wink at the smuggling happening at the docks.”

“Historians argue that the local authorities chose to wink at the illegal trade because it provided the only source of income for the starving village.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the act of closing and opening one eye quickly.

n. an instance of winking used as a gesture or signal.

“She gave me a quick wink to let me know she was just kidding.”

“A subtle wink from the auctioneer confirmed that the secret bid had been accepted without alerting the other participants.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a very short period of sleep.

n. a brief moment of sleep; most commonly found in the idiom 'forty winks'.

“I didn't get a wink of sleep because the neighbors were so loud.”

“After a long flight, he managed to catch forty winks in the taxi before his first meeting of the day.”