Definition of WINKLE

winkle

Plural: winkles

Noun

  • small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked
  • edible marine gastropod
  • A periwinkle or its shell, of family Littorinidae.
  • Any one of various marine spiral gastropods, especially, in the United States, either of two species Busycotypus canaliculatus or Busycon carica.
  • The penis, especially that of a child rather than that of an adult.

Verb

Verb Forms: winkled, winkling, winkles

  • To extract or remove something with difficulty or effort.
  • emit or reflect light in a flickering manner
    • "Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?"
  • gleam or glow intermittently
  • remove or displace from a position
  • Synonym of winkle out (“to acquire or extract with difficulty”).

Examples

  • He had to WINKLE out the correct word from his convoluted rack of letters.

Origin / Etymology

Short for periwinkle.

Synonyms

blink, flash, periwinkle, scintillate, twinkle, wink, winkle out, Busycon canaliculata, Fulgar carica, oyster drill

Scrabble Score: 13

winkle: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
winkle: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
winkle: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

winkle: valid Words With Friends Word