Hint

//hɪnt// intj, noun, verb

intj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A clue.

    "I needed a hint to complete the crossword."

  2. 2
    an indication of potential opportunity wordnet
  3. 3
    An implicit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.

    "He gave me a hint that my breath smelt."

  4. 4
    a slight indication wordnet
  5. 5
    A small, barely detectable amount.

    "There was a hint of irony in his voice."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    an indirect suggestion wordnet
  2. 7
    Information in a computer-based font that suggests how the outlines of the font's glyphs should be distorted in order to produce, at specific sizes, a visually appealing pixel-based rendering; an instance of hinting.

    "This font does not scale well to small sizes; the hints for the 10-point letter 'g' still need work."

  3. 8
    a just detectable amount wordnet
  4. 9
    An instruction to the database engine as to how a query should be executed, for example whether to use an index or not.
  5. 10
    a slight but appreciable amount wordnet
  6. 11
    An opportunity; occasion; fit time. obsolete

    "I, not remembering how I cried out then, / Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint / That wrings mine eyes to't."

Verb
  1. 1
    To imply without a direct statement; to provide a clue. intransitive

    "She hinted at the possibility of a recount of the votes."

  2. 2
    drop a hint; intimate by a hint wordnet
  3. 3
    To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner. transitive

    "to hint a suspicion"

  4. 4
    To develop and add hints to a font. transitive

    "The typographer worked all day on hinting her new font so it would look good on computer screens."

Intj
  1. 1
    Signifies that something previously said should be taken as a hint or heeded closely. often, reduplication

    "And yes, as long as you are being a good coder and engaging in safe practices, nothing should go wrong. (Hint, hint.)"

Synonyms

All synonyms
tracealludeimplyinsinuatejotmite

Antonyms

All antonyms
oodles

Example

More examples

"When I didn't know how to answer the question, he gave me a hint."

Etymology

From Middle English hinten, hynten, variant of henten (“to lay hold of, catch”), from Old English hentan (“to seize, grasp”), from Proto-West Germanic *hantijan, from Proto-Germanic *hantijaną. Doublet of hent. Related also to hunt.

Related phrases

Irish hintbroad hintdrop a hintget the hinttake a hinttake the hinttype hint

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.