noun
Meaning 1
A sparkle or glimmer of light.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: glint, glister, spark, twink
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
twinkle
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪŋkəl
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CMU ARPABET: T W IH1 NG K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A sparkle of delight in the eyes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He was a rotund, jolly man with a twinkle in his eye.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A flitting movement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flit, flitter
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A brief moment; a twinkling.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: instant, moment, twinkling, bat of an eye, bit, blink of an eye, crack, eyeblink, flash, glimpse, half a mo, jiff, jiffy, jot, minute, mo, New York minute, New York second, no time, sec, second, span, split-second, spurt, stound, tick, trice, twink, twinkle, while
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
The female genitalia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: childish
Examples
- The popular Swedish cartoon song about genitals was translated as "Willie and Twinkle".
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: foo-foo, minnie, axe wound, bearded clam, beaver, berk, bonne bouche, box, bun, bush, cavern, clunge, coin slot, cooch, coochie, cookie, cooter, cooze, crack, crevice, cunny, cunt, fanny, fish lips, front bottom, front bum, front hole, gash, ginch, girl, Grand Canyon, honeypot, hoo-ha, innie, juice box, kebab, kitty, la-la, love box, love tunnel, minge, monosyllable, moocha, muff, muffin, nonny, pee-pee, penis fly trap, pink, pink bits, poontang, pump, punani, pussy, quim, sausage wallet, sheath, slit, snapper, snatch, squish mitten, stench trench, strange, sugar walls, tuppence, trap, twat, twinkle, vadge, vag, vagina, vaginer, va-jay-jay, vertical smile, Vicky, Victoria, Virginia, vulva, wee-wee, whisker biscuit, wizard's sleeve, badly packed kebab, beef curtains, burger, chocha, clam, coochy, coot, fur burger, fur pie, gee, girl penis, hair pie, ham sandwich, honey hole, it, ladybits, mooshoo, mott, na-na, nooky, noonie, old hat, pee flap, prat, pudendum muliebre, quaint, quiff, rat, roast beef, scut, slot, treasures, vajay, yoni
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To shine with a flickering light; to glimmer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- We could see the lights of the village twinkling in the distance.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flicker, fulgurate, glimmer, scintillate, shimmer, wink
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To be bright with delight.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- His shrewd little eyes twinkled roguishly.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sparkle
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To bat, blink or wink the eyes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: nictitate
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To flit to and fro.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flicker, flirt, flutter
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he had a sparkle in his eye
- there's a perpetual twinkle in his eyes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sparkle, spark, light
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: vitality, verve, expression, look, aspect, facial expression, face
noun
Meaning 11
a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: scintillation, sparkling
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change, alteration, modification
verb
Meaning 12
gleam or glow intermittently
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The lights were flashing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flash, blink, wink, winkle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: radiate
Narrower terms: flicker, flick
verb
Meaning 13
emit or reflect light in a flickering manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: winkle, scintillate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shine, beam
History
Etymology
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”).
Across languages
Translations
132 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Armenian: առկայծում (aṙkaycum) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Bulgarian: блещукане (bleštukane) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Finnish: tuike — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Finnish: pilke — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Finnish: välke — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: ციმციმი (cimcimi) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: ციალი (ciali) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: გაელვება (gaelveba) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: ელვარება (elvareba) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: აელვარება (aelvareba) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: კრთომა (ḳrtoma) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: გამოკრთომა (gamoḳrtoma) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: ბჟუტვა (bžuṭva) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: კვესა (ḳvesa) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: კამკამი (ḳamḳami) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: კაშკაში (ḳašḳaši) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: ბრწყინვა (brc̣q̇inva) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Georgian: კიაფი (ḳiapi) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Irish: glioscarnach — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Italian: bagliore — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Italian: barlume — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Russian: мерца́ние (mercánije) — sparkle or glimmer of light
- Bulgarian: блясък (bljasǎk) — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Finnish: pilke — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Georgian: ნაკვესი (naḳvesi) — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Irish: glioscarnach — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Italian: scintillio — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Italian: luccichio — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Russian: сия́ние (sijánije) — sparkle of delight in the eyes
- Russian: порха́ние (porxánije) — flitting movement
- Catalan: patatona — female genitalia
- Catalan: petxina — female genitalia
- Chinese Mandarin: 妹妹 (mèimei) — female genitalia
- Czech: pipina — female genitalia
- Danish: tissekone — female genitalia
- Dutch: poenie — female genitalia
- Estonian: tussu — female genitalia
- Faroese: pitta — female genitalia
- Finnish: pimppi — female genitalia
- Finnish: pimppa — female genitalia
- French: zézette — female genitalia
- French: foufoune — female genitalia
- German: Mumu — female genitalia
- Greenlandic: utsuit — female genitalia
- Hungarian: nuni — female genitalia
- Hungarian: puni — female genitalia
- Icelandic: píka — female genitalia
- Italian: patatina — female genitalia
- Italian: farfallina — female genitalia
- Norwegian Bokmål: jentetiss — female genitalia
- Norwegian Bokmål: tissekone — female genitalia
- Polish: kuciapka — female genitalia
- Polish: cipka — female genitalia
- Portuguese: pepeca — female genitalia
- Portuguese: perereca — female genitalia
- Romanian: păsărică — female genitalia
- Russian: пи́ська (písʹka) — female genitalia
- Russian: пипи́ська (pipísʹka) — female genitalia
- Northern Sami: cinˈni — female genitalia
- Northern Sami: cincu — female genitalia
- Slovene: lulika — female genitalia
- Spanish: chichi — female genitalia
- Spanish: chochete — female genitalia
- Swedish: snippa — female genitalia
- Turkish: kuku — female genitalia
- Arabic: لَأْلَأَ (laʔlaʔa) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Armenian: առկայծել (aṙkaycel) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Armenian: փայլատակել (pʻaylatakel) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Azerbaijani: sayrışmaq — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Bulgarian: блещукам (bleštukam) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Czech: blikat — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Danish: skinne — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Esperanto: brili — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Finnish: tuikkia — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- French: briller — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: ციმციმებს (cimcimebs) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: იელვებს (ielvebs) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: კრთის (ḳrtis) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: კრთება (ḳrteba) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: ბჟუტავს (bžuṭavs) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: ციალებს (cialebs) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: კამკამებს (ḳamḳamebs) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Georgian: კიაფობს (ḳiapobs) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- German: funkeln — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Hebrew: נצנץ (nitsnéts) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Italian: scintillare — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Italian: luccicare — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Latin: micō — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Māori: rikoriko — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Māori: kikiwa — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Māori: hinātore — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Māori: taukapo — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Māori: whakawhetū — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Marathi: लुकलुकणे (luklukṇe) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Navajo: dah dinisxǫs — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Old English: blīcan — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Polish: migotać — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Portuguese: cintilar — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Portuguese: tremeluzir — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Quechua: chinpiy — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Romanian: pâlpâi — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Romanian: licări — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Romanian: sclipi — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Russian: мерца́ть (mercátʹ) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Spanish: titilar — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Spanish: escintilar — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Swedish: tindra — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Tamil: மின்னு (miṉṉu) — to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer
- Bulgarian: блестя (blestja) — to be bright with delight
- Danish: skinne — to be bright with delight
- Finnish: säihkyä — to be bright with delight
- Finnish: tuikkia — to be bright with delight
- French: briller — to be bright with delight
- German: funkeln — to be bright with delight
- Italian: brillare — to be bright with delight
- Italian: scintillare — to be bright with delight
- Marathi: लुकलुकणे (luklukṇe) — to be bright with delight
- Russian: сия́ть (sijátʹ) — to be bright with delight
- Spanish: fulgurar — to be bright with delight
- Spanish: refulgir — to be bright with delight
- Azerbaijani: qırpmaq — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- Bulgarian: примигвам (primigvam) — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- Danish: blinke — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- Finnish: vilkuttaa — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- French: cligner — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- German: zwinkern — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- Russian: мига́ть (migátʹ) — to bat, blink or wink the eyes
- Danish: fare — to flit to and fro
- Finnish: pyrähdellä — to flit to and fro
- French: virevolter — to flit to and fro
- Russian: порха́ть (porxátʹ) — to flit to and fro
- Russian: порха́ть туда́-сюда́ (porxátʹ tudá-sjudá) — to flit to and fro
Real reading context