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.
Idioms for blink
on the blink, not in proper working order; in need of repair: The washing machine is on the blink again.
Origin of blink
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English blinken (verb), variant of blenken “to quail, shrink back, blench” (see blench1); cognate with Dutch, German blinken
In the blink of an eye, there’s all this innovation—from 2017, when I first took a look at this and couldn’t have imagined how it was possible, to now, where there’s this huge positive movement.
Inside Singapore’s huge bet on vertical farming|Katie McLean|October 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Legend held that the blink came from the lantern of an ill-fated mother searching for her son.
Why do we see ghosts?|Jake Bittle|October 6, 2020|Popular Science
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that things can change dramatically, in the blink of an eye.
Can the Dow’s Big Tech makeover finally push the blue chip index above 30,000?|Bernhard Warner|August 25, 2020|Fortune
Now it can happen in the blink of an eye—just look at former House majority leader Eric Cantor.
The ‘Morning Joe’-ification of Eric Cantor|Ben Jacobs|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was unable to speak, and the woman asked him to blink once for yes, twice for no in reply to some questions.
Tupac Shakur’s Race-Killer Prison Pal Talks|Michael Daly|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the blink of an eye, the hipster has turned into a catch-all scapegoat, guilty for everything from expensive beer to bad music.
Why Do We Hate Hipsters So F'ing Much?|Ted Gioia|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Technology that stealthily decimates in the blink of an eye, that is what is what Israel needs in the Twenty-First Century.
Israel Needs Better War Technology|Lloyd Green|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Efron, in a blink, went from shy concealment to peacock-ish display.
Zac Efron’s Eyes Are Up Here, Ladies|Tim Teeman|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sound of Blink gnawing her bone beneath the bed alone broke the silence.
The Burning Spear|John Galsworthy
He looked at the girl, and had to blink away a mist that hazed his sight before he could see her.
When the Sleepers Woke|Arthur Leo Zagat
But he had only to brush a hand across his eyes, or blink, and the "other things" wouldn't be there any more.
Dave Dawson with the Commandos|R. Sidney Bowen
He still stood there, staring at her with eyes that did not blink.
Rung Ho!|Talbot Mundy
I don't want to be unkind, but it doesn't do to blink facts.
The Immortal Moment|May Sinclair
British Dictionary definitions for blink
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 amazedhe 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 blinkslangnot working properly
Word Origin for blink
C14: variant of blench1; related to Middle Dutch blinken to glitter, Danish blinke to wink, Swedish blinka