adj
Meaning 1
Sparkling intermittently.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: atwinkle
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
twinkling
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.
-
/ˈtwɪŋklɪŋ/
-
Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -ɪŋklɪŋ
-
CMU ARPABET: T W IH1 NG K AH0 L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
-
CMU ARPABET 2: T W IH1 NG K L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A shining with fast intermittent light.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: blinking, strobing
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A very short period, notionally the time it takes to blink the eyes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The housework was done in a twinkling.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: blink of an eye, eyeblink, twinkle, bat of an eye, bit, crack, flash, glimpse, half a mo, instant, jiff, jiffy, jot, minute, mo, moment, New York minute, New York second, no time, sec, second, span, split-second, spurt, stound, tick, trice, twink, twinkling, while
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
present participle and gerund of twinkle
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: blink of an eye, flash, heartbeat, instant, jiffy, split second, trice, wink, New York minute
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: moment, mo, minute, second, bit
History
Etymology
From Middle English twynkelynge, equivalent to twinkle + -ing.
From Middle English twynkelyng, twynkelynge, equivalent to twinkle + -ing.
Across languages
Translations
5 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: трепкащ (trepkašt) — sparkling intermittently
- Bulgarian: искрящ (iskrjašt) — sparkling intermittently
- Esperanto: ekbriletanta — sparkling intermittently
- Latin: coruscus — sparkling intermittently
- Khiamniungan Naga: tǖchōkchōk — sparkling intermittently