The TV is on the blink.
Source: tatoeba (50223)
Blink
/blɪŋk/
Synonyms for "blink" (159 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (32)
Strong matches (48)
Related words (79)
nictitateon the blinkon the fritzout of orderout of whackoverlookpass overpass over lightlypeekpeeppull backquailquick sightrapid glancerecoilreelreel backreflectancereflectionretreat
Show 45 more words
scampscintillascintillatescintillationsheer offshimmershimmeringshrinkshrink backshysidestepsignalskimskim overskim the surfaceskimpskip overslantslightslubber overslurslur oversnowblinkspanglesparksparklesquizstartstart asidestart backstroboscopic lightswervetinseltouch upontouch upon lightlyturn asidetwinkletwinklingwater skywaterblinkweaselweasel outwincewinkwink at
Verb(5 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: eye blink, nictitate, wink, aha, albedo.
- Sentence evidence is available for blink, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, wiktionary, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "blink".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "blink"
Keep "blink" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "blink" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "blink", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "blink" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
26 entriesact involuntarilyact reflexivelyexclamationexpressioneye movementfacial gesturehold backinborn reflexinnate reflexinstinctive reflexinterjectionkeepkeep backlight emissionmotor actionperception
Showing 16 of 26 words.
More specific
18 entriesShowing 16 of 18 words.
Collocations
12 entriesLED blinkblink of an eyeblink rateblink reflexblinking rateeye blinkeyelid closureintermittent blinkinginvoluntary blinkquick blinkrapid blinkrapid blinking
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
119 translations across 54 languages.
Arabic
2 entries- رمش verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- رَمَشَ verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Armenian
1 entries- թարթել verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- qırpmaq verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Belarusian
4 entries- марга́ць verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- маргну́ць verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- міга́ць verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- мігну́ць verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Bulgarian
2 entries- мигам verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- премигвам verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Burmese
1 entries- မျက်စိမှိတ် verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- تروکاندن verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 眨 verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- 眨眼 verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- 眨眼睛 verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Czech
4 entries- mrknutí noun (a quick view)
- blikat verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- mrkat verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- mrknout verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Danish
1 entries- blinke verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Dutch
1 entries- knipperen verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Egyptian
1 entries- V13:D21-G17-D6 verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Esperanto
1 entries- palpebrumi verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Faroese
2 entries- blinkstra verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- blunka verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Finnish
3 entries- räpyttää silmiä verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- räpäyttää silmiä verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- välkkyä verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
French
4 entries- coup d’œil noun (a quick view)
- ciller verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- cligner des yeux verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- clignoter verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Galician
4 entries- chiscar verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- choscar verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- lampexar verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- piscar verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Georgian
2 entries- დახამხამება verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- დახუჭვა verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
German
3 entries- flüchtiger Blick noun (a quick view)
- blinken verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- blinzeln verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Greek
1 entries- ανοιγοκλείνω verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Hebrew
1 entries- מצמץ verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Hindi
1 entries- पलक मारना verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Hungarian
4 entries- pislant verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- pislog verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- pislog verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- villog verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
Icelandic
2 entries- blikka verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- depla verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Ido
1 entries- palpebragar verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Indonesian
1 entries- mengedipkan verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Italian
4 entries- battito di ciglia noun (a quick view)
- in un batter d'occhio noun (a quick view)
- occhiata noun (a quick view)
- ammiccare verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Japanese
4 entries- チラ見 noun (a quick view)
- まばたきする verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- 瞬く verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- 瞬く verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Kazakh
2 entries- жыпылықтату verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- жыпылықтау verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Khmer
2 entries- ប៉ប្រិច verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- ព្រិច verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Korean
2 entries- 눈을 깜박거리다 verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- 눈을 깜박이다 verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- көз кысуу verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Lao
1 entries- ພັບຕາ verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Latin
4 entries- conniveo verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- nicto verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- nictor verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- palpebrō verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Macedonian
1 entries- трепкам verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Norman
2 entries- blyîntchi verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- clyinn'ter verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Norwegian
1 entries- blinke verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- blunke verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Old English
1 entries- wincian verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Persian
2 entries- پلک زدن verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- چشمک زدن verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Polish
4 entries- migać verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- mrugać verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- mrugać verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- mrugnąć verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Portuguese
3 entries- olhadela noun (a quick view)
- piscar verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- piscar verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
Quechua
1 entries- ch'illmipakuy verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Romanian
1 entries- clipi verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Russian
4 entries- миг noun (a quick view)
- мига́ть verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- мигать verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- мигну́ть verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- caog verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- priob verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Slovak
2 entries- mrkať verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- mrknúť verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Southern Altai
2 entries- кӧзин јумар verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- кӧс тӱмер verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Spanish
4 entries- destellar verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
- guiñar verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- parpadear verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- parpadear verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
Swedish
1 entries- blinka verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Thai
2 entries- กะพริบ verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- กะพริบ verb (to flash on and off at regular intervals)
Turkish
1 entries- göz kırpmak verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Ukrainian
4 entries- мига́ти verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- мигну́ти verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- морга́ти verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
- моргну́ти verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Vietnamese
1 entries- nhấp nháy verb (to close and reopen both eyes quickly)
Sample sentences
32 total sentences available.
The police usually blink at cars parked here.
Source: tatoeba (238247)
The plane went out of sight in a blink.
Source: tatoeba (318080)
In the blink of an eye, the tennis-ball-sized dumpling had disappeared.
Source: tatoeba (328790)
Showing 4 of 32 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "blink"?
Closest matches include eye blink, nictitate, wink, aha, albedo.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "blink"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.