on the blink

O o

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [on, awn stressed th ee blingk]
- /ɒn, ɔn stressed ði blɪŋk/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [on, awn stressed th ee blingk]
- /ɒn, ɔn stressed ði blɪŋk/

Definitions of on the blink words

verb without object on the blink to open and close the eye, especially involuntarily; wink rapidly and repeatedly. 1
verb without object on the blink to look with winking or half-shut eyes: I blinked at the harsh morning light. 1
verb without object on the blink to be startled, surprised, or dismayed (usually followed by at): She blinked at his sudden fury. 1
verb without object on the blink to look evasively or with indifference; ignore (often followed by at): to blink at another's eccentricities. 1
verb without object on the blink to shine unsteadily, dimly, or intermittently; twinkle: The light on the buoy blinked in the distance. 1
verb with object on the blink to open and close (the eye or eyes), usually rapidly and repeatedly; wink: She blinked her eyes in an effort to wake up. 1

See all 17 definitions of on the blink

Information block about the term

Origin of on the blink

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English blinken (v.), variant of blenken to blench1; cognate with Dutch, German blinken

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On the blink

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of On the blink

on the blink popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 92% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

on the blink usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for on the blink

adj on the blink

beat-up — Informal. dilapidated; in poor condition from use: a beat-up old jalopy.
broken — Broken is the past participle of break.
damaged — injury or harm that reduces value or usefulness: The storm did considerable damage to the crops.
disrepair — the condition of needing repair; an impaired or neglected state.
flawed — characterized by flaws; having imperfections: a flawed gem; a seriously flawed piece of work.

adjective on the blink

defective — If something is defective, there is something wrong with it and it does not work properly.
faulty — having faults or defects; imperfect.
haywire — wire used to bind bales of hay.

All 14 Synonyms of on the blink