Definition of twinkle verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

twinkle

verb

/ˈtwɪŋkl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they twinkle	/ˈtwɪŋkl/ /ˈtwɪŋkl/
he / she / it twinkles	/ˈtwɪŋklz/ /ˈtwɪŋklz/
past simple twinkled	/ˈtwɪŋkld/ /ˈtwɪŋkld/
past participle twinkled	/ˈtwɪŋkld/ /ˈtwɪŋkld/
-ing form twinkling	/ˈtwɪŋklɪŋ/ /ˈtwɪŋklɪŋ/

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[intransitive] to shine with a light that keeps changing from bright to pale to bright again
- Stars twinkled in the sky.
- twinkling lights in the distance
Synonyms shine
shinegleam ▪ glow ▪ sparkle ▪ glisten ▪ shimmer ▪ glitter ▪ twinkle ▪ glintThese words all mean to produce or reflect light.
shine to produce or reflect light, especially brightly:
The sun was shining and the sky was blue.
gleam to shine with a clear bright or pale light, especially a reflected light:
Moonlight gleamed on the water.
glow (often of something hot or warm) to produce a steady light that is not very bright:
The end of his cigarette glowed red.
sparkle to shine brightly with small flashes of light:
The diamonds sparkled in the light.
glisten (of something wet) to shine:
The road glistened wet after the rain.
shimmer to shine with a soft light that seems to shake slightly:
Everything seemed to shimmer in the heat.
glitter to shine brightly with small flashes of reflected light:
The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold.
sparkle or glitter?There is very little difference in meaning between these two words. Glitter can sometimes suggest a lack of depth, but this is more frequent in the figurative use of glitter as a noun: the superficial glitter of show business. Sparkle is also often used to talk about light reflected off a surface, but things that produce light can also sparkle: Stars sparkled in the sky.
twinkle to shine with a light that changes rapidly from bright to faint to bright again:
Stars twinkled in the sky.
glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light:
The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness.
Patterns
- to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint on something
- to shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/twinkle/glint with something
- to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the sunlight
- to shine/gleam/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the moonlight
- the stars shine/sparkle/glitter/twinkle
- somebody’s eyes shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/glitter/twinkle/glint
- to shine/gleam/glow/glitter brightly
- to shine/gleam/glow/shimmer softly
Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

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[intransitive] if your eyes twinkle, you have a bright expression because you are happy or excited
- twinkling blue eyes
- twinkle with something Her eyes twinkled with merriment.
- twinkle at somebody His mother twinkled at him over her teacup.
Extra Examples
- Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
- His dark eyes twinkled merrily at her.

Word OriginOld English twinclian (verb), of Germanic origin.

See twinkle in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Nearby words

trait

noun

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