blinking

Definition of blinkingnext
present participle of blink
1
as in twinkling
to shine with light at regular intervals she loves to sit in the dark and watch the lights on the Christmas tree blink in ever-changing patterns

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in squinting
to rapidly open and close one's eyes I blinked for a few seconds after the camera flashed

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blinking Heidi did it in back-to-back months without even blinking. Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026 The lights offer eight modes, including seven blinking options and one steady setting. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026 Speaking to the interviewer and appearing to be blinded by the bright spotlights, Denton began blinking in a seemingly random manner. Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026 Robbie Saenz de Viteri, the project’s co-creator, came into the visitor center, wheeling a library cart laden with a blinking soundboard. Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 Instead, the crew of the historic Artemis II mission headed around the moon reported a blinking fault light on their lunar latrine. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026 The emitters also demonstrated strong spectral stability, addressing a key limitation in earlier designs where blinking and photobleaching reduced performance. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026 Across Exuvie, Büchi induces a state of temporary autophony, a condition in which internal body sounds like breathing and blinking are amplified to maddening volume. Walden Green, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026 Two tiny humanoid robots that can play soccer stand in a glass case, one blinking and gesturing at visitors and the other partially disassembled to reveal the engineering inside. Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blinking
Verb
  • The third inspection got China Star twinkling again.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The bounty of wide, unrestrained, eyes-twinkling smiles genuinely brought me joy.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Whether 2026 is the year, or just the year fans started squinting at the schedule, is the watercooler question worth holding onto until that first Monday in May.
    Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The family smiles while dressed casually and barefoot, squinting from the sun's rays.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Mullins, 26, died on the floor of the store, succumbing to his wounds before paramedics arrived.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Parker was also fighting tuberculosis at the time, succumbing to the disease just a few months after the battle.
    Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That's a lot of late nights and early mornings staring at the sky.
    Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
  • What Jaafar does amounts to an elaborate impression instead of an interpretation, re-creating the voice and the famous choreography and otherwise staring blankly into the middle distance when called upon to transmit emotions.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Moniak, meanwhile, continues flashing star power.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
  • In the past, even when Gobert has done his job to the best of anyone’s abilities, Jokic has often found answers in the form of knocking down outside jumpers or by flashing his feathery touch in the midrange.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As Ballmer sees it, Sanberg agreed to cooperate in exchange for the league submitting a favorable sentencing letter to Judge Wilson, and thus he shouldn’t be regarded as a credible informant.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Agents from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins report buyers are engaged but cautious, submitting offers in economic and international uncertainty.
    Sara B. Hansen, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • One untitled work from 1994 shows a strange monster—a guard bent over, gazing back at us between his own legs, his upside-down grin framed by his jackboots.
    Ben Davis, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Even without a treatment booking, guests may cycle through the hydrotherapy circuit—steam, sauna, hot and cold plunge—while gazing at city panoramas.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Absorptive, addictive, violent (and by then near-universal, with televisions flickering in ninety-five per cent of American homes), TV was officially a bad mom.
    Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
  • Sensing something was wrong, the family looked out a back window and noticed a flickering light.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blinking. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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