twinkle Hear it!

twinkle Definition

twin·kle (twiŋkəl)

intransitive verb -·kled, -·kling

  1. to shine with quick, intermittent flashes of light, as some stars; sparkle
  2. to light up, as with amusement: said of the eyes
  3. to move about or back and forth quickly and lightly, as a dancer's feet; flicker
  4. Archaic to wink or blink

Etymology: ME twinklen < OE twinclian, freq. of base seen in MHG zwinken, to wink

transitive verb

  1. to make twinkle
  2. to emit (light) in quick, intermittent flashes

noun

  1. a flicker or wink of the eye
  2. a quick flash of amusement, etc. in the eye
  3. a quick, intermittent flash of light; sparkle
  4. the very brief time it takes to wink; twinkling

twinkle Related Forms
twin·kler noun
twinkle Synonyms

twinkle

v.

twinkle Usage Examples

Object

  • light: Plus, twinkling lights follow along with every tune.
  • eye: Holding the old man's haughty, twinkling eyes, I brushed past them both.
  • star: By night, dine beneath twinkling stars at the Blue Lagoon, then party till the sun rises in Disney Village.

Converse of object

  • see: You see the wild twinkle in mine - I'm a dirty country lass in a fouler city.
  • have: Every blade of grass and leaf had a small twinkle as the sun started to brighten.

Adjective modifier

  • mischievous: Suddenly he turned upon me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
  • wicked: Neville now fixed me with a wicked twinkle in his eyes.
  • definite: Robbie had a definite twinkle in his eye after this dive.

Modifies a noun

  • toe: This all culminates in an extravaganza of a show at the end of the year letting you show off your amazing twinkle toes!

Modifying Another Word

  • still: As I staggered across the valley to the campsite their torches still twinkled half way up the black obelisk.
  • brightly: That night as she looked into the sky she saw the stars twinkling brightly, and the smiling moon.

Noun used with modifier

  • wrinkle: We recommend bliss baggage handler, or for more mature skin, bliss wrinkle twinkle.
  • star: They would talk the night away watching the stars twinkle in the warm sky.
  • light: Luxuriate in the comfortable window seat and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening while you watch the lights twinkle across the water.

Preposition: in

  • sky: They would talk the night away watching the stars twinkle in the warm sky.
  • eye: Like the late Fred Jordan himself, John sings with a twinkle in the eye.

Preposition: of

  • eye: With a mere 2 hr flight time, we feel like we've switched cultures in the twinkle of an eye.

Preposition: with

  • light: A cozy log cabin twinkles with light on the banks of a placid loch.

Preposition: like

  • star: It sparkled and twinkled like the stars in the sky, its enchanting patterns never ceased to hold Deborah's attention.
twinkle Quotes

A little round, fat, oily man of God, Was one I chiefly marked among the fry: He had a roguish twinkle in his eye.

—Thomson,James pseudonym 'BV',ByssheVanolis

This is the dead land This is cactus land Here the stone images Are raised, here they receive The supplication of a dead man's hand Under the twinkle of a fading star.

—Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

Browse dictionary entries near twinkle

  1. twinkie
  2. twinge
  3. twinflower
  4. twine
  5. twinborn
  6. twinberry
  7. twinaxial cable
  8. twinax
  9. twin-size
  10. twin set
  1. twinkling
  2. twinned
  3. twinning
  4. twirl
  5. twirp
  6. twist
  7. twist drill
  8. twist pitch
  9. twist ratio
  10. twist-tie