Meaning of "blink" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD BLINK

Variant of blench1; related to Middle Dutch blinken to glitter, Danish blinke to wink, Swedish blinka.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF BLINK

blink  [blɪŋk]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BLINK

Blink is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb blink in English.

WHAT DOES BLINK MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Blink

Blinking is the semi-autonomic rapid closing and opening of the eyelid. It is an essential function of the eye that helps spread tears across and remove irritants from the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva. Blink speed can be affected by elements such as fatigue, eye injury, medication, and disease. The blinking rate is determined by the "blinking center", but it can also be affected by external stimulus. When an animal chooses to blink only one eye as a signal to another in a social setting, it is known as winking. Some animals blink their eyes independently of each other.

Definition of blink in the English dictionary

The first definition of blink in the dictionary is to close and immediately reopen, usually involuntarily. Other definition of blink is to look with the eyes partially closed, as in strong sunlight. Blink is also to shine intermittently, as in signalling, or unsteadily.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO BLINK

PRESENT

Present

I blink

you blink

he/she/it blinks

we blink

you blink

they blink

Present continuous

I am blinking

you are blinking

he/she/it is blinking

we are blinking

you are blinking

they are blinking

Present perfect

I have blinked

you have blinked

he/she/it has blinked

we have blinked

you have blinked

they have blinked

Present perfect continuous

I have been blinking

you have been blinking

he/she/it has been blinking

we have been blinking

you have been blinking

they have been blinking

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I blinked

you blinked

he/she/it blinked

we blinked

you blinked

they blinked

Past continuous

I was blinking

you were blinking

he/she/it was blinking

we were blinking

you were blinking

they were blinking

Past perfect

I had blinked

you had blinked

he/she/it had blinked

we had blinked

you had blinked

they had blinked

Past perfect continuous

I had been blinking

you had been blinking

he/she/it had been blinking

we had been blinking

you had been blinking

they had been blinking

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will blink

you will blink

he/she/it will blink

we will blink

you will blink

they will blink

Future continuous

I will be blinking

you will be blinking

he/she/it will be blinking

we will be blinking

you will be blinking

they will be blinking

Future perfect

I will have blinked

you will have blinked

he/she/it will have blinked

we will have blinked

you will have blinked

they will have blinked

Future perfect continuous

I will have been blinking

you will have been blinking

he/she/it will have been blinking

we will have been blinking

you will have been blinking

they will have been blinking

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would blink

you would blink

he/she/it would blink

we would blink

you would blink

they would blink

Conditional continuous

I would be blinking

you would be blinking

he/she/it would be blinking

we would be blinking

you would be blinking

they would be blinking

Conditional perfect

I would have blink

you would have blink

he/she/it would have blink

we would have blink

you would have blink

they would have blink

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been blinking

you would have been blinking

he/she/it would have been blinking

we would have been blinking

you would have been blinking

they would have been blinking

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you blink
we let´s blink
you blink

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to blink

Past participle

blinked

Present Participle

blinking

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «BLINK»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «blink» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of blink

bat · condone · disregard · flash · flicker · flutter · glimmer · ignore · overlook · pass by · scintillate · shimmer · sparkle · turn a blind eye to · twinkle · wink

TRANSLATION OF BLINK

Find out the translation of blink to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of blink from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «blink» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 眨眼
• Translator English - Spanish: parpadear
• English: blink
• Translator English - Hindi: झपकी
• Translator English - Arabic: يُوْمِضُ
• Translator English - Russian: мигать
• Translator English - Portuguese: piscar
• Translator English - Bengali: নাচা
• Translator English - French: cligner
• Translator English - Malay: Berkedip
• Translator English - German: blinzeln
• Translator English - Japanese: まばたきする
• Translator English - Korean: 눈을 깜박이다
• Translator English - Javanese: Kedhip
• Translator English - Vietnamese: nháy mắt
• Translator English - Tamil: மிளிரும்
• Translator English - Marathi: डोळे मिचकावणे
• Translator English - Turkish: goz kirpmak
• Translator English - Italian: battere le palpebre
• Translator English - Polish: mrugnąć
• Translator English - Ukrainian: кліпати
• Translator English - Romanian: a clipi
• Translator English - Greek: βλεφαρίζω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: knip
• Translator English - Swedish: blinka
• Translator English - Norwegian: blunke

10 QUOTES WITH «BLINK»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word blink.

1

Frankie Avalon

I learned not to blink in a close-up or move your head at all, because if you did, they wouldn't use it.

2

Brittany Bowe

I don't even know if you can blink in a hundredth of a second, and that's what it comes down to in speed skating.

3

Regina Brett

Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

4

Sebastian Coe

We need to be confident. We need not to blink.

5

Bob Costas

It doesn't seem that long ago to me that the word 'irreverent' seemed affixed to my name. 'Irreverent newcomer.' I went from irreverent to venerable in what seems to me like the blink of an eye.

6

Michael Dickinson

We discovered that fruit flies alter course in less than one one-hundredth of a second, 50 times faster than we blink our eyes, which is faster than we ever imagined.

7

Martin Donovan

If you blink, you will miss me, but I am in 'Malcolm X.'

8

Keir Dullea

I think the life we are living now is just a blink in the eye of eternity.

9

Manny Farber

One of the fine moments in 1940s film is no longer than a blink: Bogart, as he crosses the street from one bookstore to another, looks up at a sign.

10

Jamie Foxx

If you look at how long the Earth has been here, we're living in the blink of an eye. So, whatever it is you want to do, you go out and do it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BLINK»

Discover the use of blink in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to blink and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

In his landmark bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within.

Malcolm Gladwell, 2007

Blink

A Saudi Arabian princess flees a painful forced marriage for the promise of America, and teams up with graduate student Seth, who possesses the ability to see multiple possible futures, in a dangerous struggle for power.

Ted Dekker, 2004

Blink Once

West is a high school senior who has everything going for him until an accident leaves him paralyzed.

Cylin Busby, 2012

Blink & Caution

Two teenagers who are living on the streets and barely getting by become involved in a complicated criminal plot, and make an unexpected connection with each other.

Tim Wynne-Jones, 2011

Blink.

Blink showcases the work of 100 contemporary photographers, selected by 10ritics, curators and creative directors based around the world.

Editors of Phaidon Press, 2004

Blink of an Eye

The future changes in the blink of an eye . . . or does it?

Ted Dekker, 2008

In a Blink

When four friends are whisked out of their ordinary lives to Never Land, home to fairies and mermaids, Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell have to figure out a way for them to get home.

Kiki Thorpe, 2013

Blink: A Journey Through Gangland Mayhem

Rearrested several times, he was the target of more than one terrifying murder attempt. In Blink, MacDonald provides an eye-opening account of his highly eventful journey through life in Glasgow's brutal gangland.

Ian MacDonald, David Leslie, 2012

Blink-182: Tales from Beneath Your Mom

Presents a behind-the-scenes look at the band, including their life on the road, videos, and backstage antics.

Anne Hoppus, Blink-182, 2001

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing

New to this second edition is Murch's lengthy meditation on the current state of digital editing.

Walter Murch, 2001

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BLINK»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term blink is used in the context of the following news items.

'Grexit' becomes base case for many, but markets barely blink

LONDON: Banks scrambled to increase the chances of Greece leaving the euro after Sunday's referendum, but euro markets only flickered and ... «Economic Times, Jul 15»

Steve McClaren & Alan Pardew: Who will blink first?

Only 32 days until the Premier League fires up once more, with now Alan Pardew and Steve McClaren the only two men left standing. «The Mag, Jul 15»

Blink and you might have missed it

Blink and you might have missed it. U.S. women's World Cup title helping to grow soccer in Tri-Cities, USA. Published: Monday, July 6, 2015 ... «Kane County Chronicle, Jul 15»

MTN strike: who will blink first?

The ongoing strike at MTN seems to be nearing resolution and an agreement appears to be in sight, but neither side is willing to capitulate at ... «ITWeb, Jul 15»

Greek referendum: smart response from Tsipras, but triumph may be …

If it is the second, he will be able to say he forced the troika to blink first. If it is the third, he can say he did everything in his power to avoid a ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»

In the Blink of an Eye, by Bill Was

Across the past few months I've had more than enough time on my hands as I continue to heal from my severely fractured left radius and ulna. «KTNA, Jul 15»

Say Cheese, Blink and Your Bill is Paid?

The blink and data transfer process are keys to the security of the method. The blink is the safeguard which prevents someone simply holding ... «Morning Ticker, Jul 15»

Walsh daughter: I've lost family in blink of an eye

I have lost half my family in a blink of an eye, nothing will be right with the world again. • Adelaide coach murdered, son arrested • 'Crows match ... «The New Daily, Jul 15»

FTII appointments row: Ministry refuses to blink | Mumbai NYOOOZ

The ministry did not blink on the demand for their removal. However, according to members in the FTII delegation, positive discussions took ... «NYOOOZ, Jul 15»

Don't Blink, or You'll Miss Out on Life

That sign came in the form of a song on the radio titled "Don't Blink." It's a song about slowing down and not missing the really important things. «Entrepreneur, Jul 15»