twinkle Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash
    scintillation; sparkling.
  2. noun merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance
    sparkle; spark; light.
    • he had a sparkle in his eye
    • there's a perpetual twinkle in his eyes
  3. verb gleam or glow intermittently
    wink; winkle; flash; blink.
    • The lights were flashing
  4. verb emit or reflect light in a flickering manner
    scintillate; winkle.
    • Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?

WordNet

Twin"kle intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. twinklen, AS. twinclian; akin to OE. twinken to blink, wink, G. zwinken, zwinkern, and perhaps to E. twitch.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Twinkled ; present participle & verbal noun Twinkling
Definitions
  1. To open and shut the eye rapidly; to blink; to wink.
    The owl fell a moping and twinkling. L' Estrange.
  2. To shine with an intermitted or a broken, quavering light; to flash at intervals; to sparkle; to scintillate.
    These stars not twinkle when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures. Sir I. Newton.
    The western sky twinkled with stars. Sir W. Scott.
Twin"kle noun
Definitions
  1. A closing or opening, or a quick motion, of the eye; a wink or sparkle of the eye.
    Suddenly, with twinkle of her eye, The damsel broke his misintended dart. Spenser.
  2. A brief flash or gleam, esp. when rapidly repeated.
  3. The time of a wink; a twinkling. Dryden.

Webster 1913