blinks

blink  (blngk)

v. blinked, blink·ing, blinks

v.intr.

1. To close and open one or both of the eyes rapidly.

2. To look through half-closed eyes, as in a bright glare; squint.

3. To shine with intermittent gleams; flash on and off.

4.

a. To be startled or dismayed.

b. To waver or back down, as in a contest of wills: "This was the first genuine, direct confrontation between this administration and the Soviets. It was the U.S.A. that blinked" (Zbigniew Brzezinski).

5. To look with feigned ignorance: a mayor who blinks at the corruption in city government.

v.tr.

1. To cause to blink.

2. To hold back or remove from the eyes by blinking: blinked back the tears.

3. To refuse to recognize or face: blink ugly facts.

4. To transmit (a message) with a flashing light.

n.

1. The act or an instance of rapidly closing and opening the eyes or an eye.

2. An instant: I'll be back in a blink.

3. Scots A quick look or glimpse; a glance.

4. A flash of light; a twinkle.

5. See iceblink.

Idiom:

on the blink

Out of working order.

---

[Probably Middle English blinken, to move suddenly, variant of blenchen; see blench¹.]

Synonyms: blink, nictitate, twinkle, wink
These verbs mean to open and close the eyelids or an eyelid rapidly: a dog blinking lazily at the fire; reptiles nictitating; twinkled, then laughed and responded; winked conspiratorially at his friend.

---

blinks [blɪŋks]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) (functioning as singular) a small temperate portulacaceous plant, Montia fontana with small white flowers

[from blink, because the flowers do not fully open and thus seem to blink at the light]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

blinks - small Indian lettuce of northern regions blinking chickweed, Montia lamprosperma, water chickweed Indian lettuce - a plant of the genus Montia having edible pleasant-tasting leaves