WINKLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does winkle mean? 

• WINKLE (noun)
  The noun WINKLE has 2 senses:

1. small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked

2. edible marine gastropod

  Familiarity information: WINKLE used as a noun is rare.

• WINKLE (verb)
  The verb WINKLE has 3 senses:

1. emit or reflect light in a flickering manner

2. gleam or glow intermittently

3. remove or displace from a position

  Familiarity information: WINKLE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WINKLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

periwinkle; winkle

Hypernyms ("winkle" is a kind of...):

seafood (edible fish (broadly including freshwater fish) or shellfish or roe etc)

Holonyms ("winkle" is a substance of...):

periwinkle; winkle (edible marine gastropod)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Edible marine gastropod

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

periwinkle; winkle

Hypernyms ("winkle" is a kind of...):

seasnail (any of several creeping marine gastropods with a spirally coiled shell: whelks; tritons; moon shells; neritids)

Meronyms (substance of "winkle"):

periwinkle; winkle (small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked)

Holonyms ("winkle" is a member of...):

genus Littorina; Littorina (type genus of the family Littorinidae: periwinkles)

• WINKLE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they winkle    ... he / she / it winkles   
Past simple: winkled   
Past participle: winkled   
-ing form: winkling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Emit or reflect light in a flickering manner

Classified under:

Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering

Synonyms:

scintillate; twinkle; winkle

Context example:

Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?

Hypernyms (to "winkle" is one way to...):

beam; shine (emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light)

Verb group:

scintillate (give off)

Domain category:

celestial body; heavenly body (natural objects visible in the sky)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Gleam or glow intermittently

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

blink; flash; twinkle; wink; winkle

Context example:

The lights were flashing

Hypernyms (to "winkle" is one way to...):

radiate (cause to be seen by emitting light as if in rays)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "winkle"):

flick; flicker (flash intermittently)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Remove or displace from a position

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

winkle; winkle out

Hypernyms (to "winkle" is one way to...):

bring out; get out (take out of a container or enclosed space)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody