Words / B2

BLINGK/blɪŋk/

To blink is to shut and open the eyes quickly: blink at; without blinking. As a noun, that movement: a blink. Wink uses one eye on purpose; twitch is broader. Time the blink reflex in the practical, then the stimulus. Mix-up: blink vs blank; wink; do not write blink for a long sleep or for a camera flash unless the source uses blink.

Meaning

To shut and open the eyes quickly; as a noun, that movement.

Examples

• “Time the blink reflex in the practical, then the stimulus, the biology paper said.”
• “In the blink of an eye in the source is the idiom for a very short time — still quote the measured seconds if given.”

Good to know

blink at; a blink; without blinking. Contrast: wink (one eye). Trap: blank / a long sleep. Biology and PE. Shut and open the eyes — time the reflex.

Near in meaning

wink, bat an eyelid, nictitate

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