Twinkle
['twɪŋk(ə)l] or ['twɪŋkl]
Definition
(noun.) a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash.
(verb.) emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; 'Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?'.
Inputed by Eunice--From WordNet
Definition
(v. i.) To open and shut the eye rapidly; to blink; to wink.
(v. i.) To shine with an intermitted or a broken, quavering light; to flash at intervals; to sparkle; to scintillate.
(n.) A closing or opening, or a quick motion, of the eye; a wink or sparkle of the eye.
(n.) A brief flash or gleam, esp. when rapidly repeated.
(n.) The time of a wink; a twinkling.
Typist: Pierce
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. n. Sparkle, flash.
n. Twinkling.
Checker: Natalia
Definition
v.i. to blink: to shine with a trembling sparkling light: to sparkle: to open and shut the eyes rapidly: to quiver.—ns. Twink′le Twink′ling a quick motion of the eye: the time occupied by a wink: an instant: the scintillation of the fixed stars; Twink′ler.
Checked by Hayes
Examples
- The water pumps were at work again, and I am not sure that the soft-hearted Captain's eyes did not also twinkle. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- A colliery, remarks Uncle, with a twinkle of the eye. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- Here and there, some early lamps were seen to twinkle in the distant city; and in the eastern quarter of the sky the lurid light still hovered. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- It'll pay better, I assure you,' said Fledgeby, bestowing an inveigling twinkle or two upon the dressmaker. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- I quite understand your position, said Holmes, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- O yes, Mas'r, said Topsy, with another twinkle, her hands still devoutly folded. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- This IS luck, he declared; and she caught a twinkle of amused curiosity between his screwed-up lids. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- He had thick bushy eyebrows, with little twinkling bloodshot eyes, surrounded by a thousand wrinkles. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Sadly and slowly I stemmed my course from among the heaps of slain, and, guided by the twinkling lights of the town, at length reached Rodosto. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- In a twinkling they were all out of the carriage. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- These oil-twinkling streets are very still: I like them for their lowliness and peace. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Out with you, in a twinkling, every one, and up into these rocks with me. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- The beasts tore the victims limb from limb and made poor mangled corpses of them in the twinkling of an eye. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Stocks which had been accumulating for years now went off in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- She pursued her embroidery carefully and quickly, but her eyelash twinkled, and then it glittered, and then a drop fell. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Jo's face was very sober, but her eyes twinkled, and there was an odd sound in her voice of repressed emotion of some sort. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- And she twinkled a little wistfully at Archer. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- I looked at the sky; it was pure: a kindly star twinkled just above the chasm ridge. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- He jumped up, and the leaden eyes which twinkled behind his mountainous cheeks leered horribly upon the food as he unpacked it from the basket. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Milverton's smile broadened and his eyes twinkled humorously. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Topsy's eyes twinkled, and she looked inquiringly. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Venn sat with lips impassively closed and eyes reduced to a pair of unimportant twinkles; he scarcely appeared to breathe. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
Editor: Rochelle