blink

English

Etymology

From Middle Dutch blinken. Related to blank.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Verb

blink (third-person singular simple present blinks, present participle blinking, simple past and past participle blinked)

Example of a blinking human eye (slow-motion)

1. To close and reopen both eyes quickly.

   The loser in the staring game is the person who blinks first.

2. To flash headlights on a car.

   An urban legend claims that gang members will attack anyone who blinks them.

3. To send a signal with a lighting device.

   Don't come to the door until I blink twice.

4. To flash on and off at regular intervals.

   The blinking text on the screen was distracting.

5. (hyperbolic) To perform the smallest action that could solicit a response.
   • 1980, Billy Joel, “Don't Ask Me Why”, Glass Houses, Columbia Records

     All the waiters in your grand cafe / Leave their tables when you blink.

Translations

to close and reopen both eyes quickly

• Armenian: թարթել (hy) (t'art'el)
• Bulgarian: мигам (bg) (migam), премигвам (bg) (premigvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 眨眼 (cmn) (zhǎyǎn), 眨眼睛 (cmn) (zhǎ yǎnjīng), 眨 (cmn) (zhǎ)

• Czech: mrknout (cs)
• Dutch: knipperen (nl)
• Esperanto: palpebrumi (eo)
• Finnish: (once) räpäyttää silmiä (fi), (continuously) räpyttää silmiä (fi)
• French: ciller (fr), cligner des yeux (fr)
• Georgian: დახუჭავს (ka) (daxučavs), დახუჭვა (ka) (daxučva)
• German: zwinkern (de), mit den Augen zwinkern (de)
• Hebrew: מצמץ (he) (mitzmétz)
• Hungarian: pislog (hu), pislant (hu)
• Italian: sbattere le ciglia (it)
• Japanese: まばたきする (ja) (mabataki suru), 瞬く (ja) (またたく, matataku)

• Jèrriais: clyinn'ter, blyîntchi
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: تروکاندن (ku) (trukandin)

• Latin: palpebrō (la), conniveo (la), nictor (la), nicto (la)
• Macedonian: трепкам (mk) (trepkam)
• Old English: wincian (ang)
• Polish: mrugać (pl) (continuously), mrugnąć (pl) (once)
• Portuguese: piscar (pt)
• Quechua: ch'illmipakuy (qu)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: моргать (ru) (morgát') impf., моргнуть (ru) (morgnút') pf.
• Scottish Gaelic: caog (gd), priob (gd)
• Spanish: parpadear (es), guiñar (es)
• Swedish: blinka (sv)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

to flash headlights

• Bulgarian: примигвам (bg) (primigvam)
• Dutch: flitsen (nl)
• Finnish: väläyttää valoja (fi)
• French: faire un appel de phares (fr)
• Italian: lampeggiare (it)
• Japanese: パッシングする (ja) (passhingu suru)

• Macedonian: блиндирам (mk) (blindiram)
• Polish: migać (pl) (continuously), mignąć (pl) (once)
• Russian: мигать (ru) (migát') impf., мигнуть (ru) (mignút') pf.
• Spanish: guiñar (es)
• Swedish: blinka (sv)

to send a signal with a lighting device

• Finnish: välkyttää (fi)
• Italian: segnalare (it)
• Japanese: 点滅する (ja) (tenmetsu suru)

• Polish: mrugnąć (pl)
• Russian: мигать (ru) (migát') impf., мигнуть (ru) (mignút') pf.
• Swedish: blinka (sv)

to flash on and off at regular intervals

• Finnish: välkkyä (fi)
• French: clignoter (fr)
• German: blinken (de)

• Italian: lampeggiare (it)
• Polish: migać (pl), mrugać (pl)
• Spanish: destellar (es), parpadear (es), titilar (es)

hyperbole: to perform the smallest action

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: примигвам (bg) (primigvam)
• Georgian: ციმციმი (ka) (c'imc'imi)

• Japanese: チラ見する (ja) (chirami suru)
• Swedish: kisa (sv)

Noun

blink (plural blinks)

1. The act of very quickly closing both eyes and opening them again.
2. (figuratively) The time needed to close and reopen one's eyes.
3. (computing) A text formatting feature that causes text to disappear and reappear as a form of visual emphasis.
   • 2007, Cheryl D. Wise, Foundations of Microsoft Expression Web: The Basics and Beyond (page 150)

     I can think of no good reason to use blink because blinking text and images are annoying, they mark the creator as an amateur, and they have poor browser support.

4. A glimpse or glance.
   • Bishop Hall

     This is the first blink that ever I had of him.

5. (UK, dialect) gleam; glimmer; sparkle
   • Wordsworth

     Not a blink of light was there.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Walter Scott to this entry?)

6. (nautical) The dazzling whiteness about the horizon caused by the reflection of light from fields of ice at sea; iceblink
7. (sports, in the plural) Boughs cast where deer are to pass, in order to turn or check them.

Translations

a quick view

• Czech: mrknutí (cs) n
• Italian: battito di ciglia (it)
• Japanese: チラ見 (ja) (chirami)

• Portuguese: olhadela (pt) f
• Russian: миг (ru) (mig) m

a view with eyes partly closed

The act of very quickly closing both eyes and opening them again

• Bulgarian: мигане (bg) (migane) n, примигване (bg) (primigvane) n
• Finnish: silmänräpäys (fi), silmänräpäytys (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Augenzwinkern (de) n, Zwinkern (de) n

• Italian: battito di ciglia (it)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Scottish Gaelic: caogadh (gd) m, priobadh (gd) m
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

The time needed to close and reopen one's eyes

• Bulgarian: миг (bg) (mig) m
• Finnish: silmänräpäys (fi), silmänräpäytys (fi)

• Scottish Gaelic: priobadh (gd) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: parpadeo (es)

Related terms

• blinkard
• blinker
• blinkie
• blink of an eye
• on the blink
• wink

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Danish

Verb

blink

1. imperative of blinke

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Verb

blink

1. first-person singular present indicative of blinken
2. imperative of blinken

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Norwegian

Noun

blink m

1. lightning

See also

• lynglimt