The Meaning of Twink: What It Is and How To Use It

The word twink has many different definitions. In this article, we’ll cover all the meanings of twink and how to use them!

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Do you know the meaning of the word twink? Have you heard the word twink and not understood what people were trying to say? Keep reading to learn more about this versatile word!

What Does Twink Mean?

According to Dictionary, the verb twink means to wink or twinkle. The pronunciation of the word twink is twɪŋk.

Additionally, the word twink is a common slang term for a thin, hairless, and young gay male with a boyish appearance. For example, a young man might be a twink if he is in their late teens and early twenties, with a little body or small frame. In this case, the word twink is used as a noun. 

Twink is also used in several MMORPG/role-playing game types to refer to a low-level character who has advanced-level weapons or armor. They usually gain these weapons from a higher level character via monetary payment or a gift.

The word twink can also refer to the Common Chaffinch, which is a small bird that is a part of the finch family. 

Finally, twink is a brand of white correction fluid in the countries New Zealand and Fiji.

What Is the Origin of Twink?

Dictionary states that the word twink began as the Middle English twinken in the 1300s. This term comes from the German zwinken, which means “to wink.” This usage is similar to the word twinkle. 

The slang term twink means a young gay man comes from the snack cake Twinkie, a small cake with a creamy filling. Others believe that the word twink originates from the British gay slang term twank. Twink began its usage as a slang term for a gay, effeminate man in the 1960s. While twink is not typically an offensive term, it’s always best to tred lightly when using slang from a culture that isn’t yours.

What Are Examples of Twinks?

Twink has many potential definitions. Therefore, it is important to use context clues to determine the meaning of the word twink in each sentence. See if you can determine how this word of the day is used in each of the below sentences. 

Then, come up with your own sentences that contain twink!

Example #1: A Twinking Eye

His eyes twinked when I mentioned the prospects of fame and fortune, and I knew that I would be able to convince him to join the troupe.

Example #2: A Young Twink

The young twink entered the bar, and all the men fawned over him. He was very popular amongst the men in the nightclub scene.

Example #3: A Twink on the Team

We were annoyed about the twink who ended up on our gaming team because — while he had all of the items needed to be successful — he did not have the experience. As a result, we ended up losing battle after battle because he could not keep up.

Example #4: Correcting With Twink

When I made a mistake on my paper, I used twink to fix it.

Example #5: Searching for Twinks

We went searching for twinks in the forest. I made sure to bring my binoculars so I wouldn’t miss these tiny birds.

What Are Translations of Twink?

The generic sense of twink means to wink or twinkle. To learn how to say the word wink in other languages, you can use this list of translations of wink from Nice Translator. Then, you can communicate about winking with people who do not speak English!

  • Vietnamese: nháy mắt
  • Romanian: a face cu ochiul
  • Danish: blinke
  • Czech: mrkat
  • Russian: подмигивание
  • Arabic: غمزة
  • Bulgarian: намигване
  • Polish: Puść oczko
  • Marathi: विंक
  • Portuguese (Portugal): piscadela
  • Japanese: ウィンク
  • Thai: ขยิบตา
  • Finnish: vinkki
  • Slovak: mrknutie
  • Indonesian: mengedip
  • Basque: kiskatu
  • Croatian: mig
  • Dutch: knipoog
  • Kannada: ವಿಂಕ್
  • Gujarati: આંખ મારવી
  • Hebrew: קְרִיצָה
  • Swedish: blinkning
  • Amharic: ዊን
  • Filipino: wink
  • Italian: occhiolino
  • Welsh: winciwn
  • Latvian: acs
  • Serbian: намигнути
  • Urdu: جھپک
  • German: zwinkern
  • French: clin d’œil
  • Estonian: silmapaistma
  • Ukrainian: підморгування
  • Chinese (PRC): 眨眼
  • Tamil: கண்மூடித்தனமாக
  • Portuguese (Brazil): piscadela
  • Hindi: आँख मारना
  • Malayalam: കണ്ണടയ്ക്കല്
  • Catalan: fer l’ullet
  • Norwegian: blunke
  • Telugu: వింక్
  • Hungarian: Rákacsintás
  • Spanish: guiño
  • Korean: 눈짓
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 眨眼
  • Greek: κλείσιμο ματιού
  • Turkish: göz kırpmak

What Are Synonyms of the Word Twink?

Twink is a fairly uncommon word that means to wink or twinkle. Additionally, twink has many alternate slang definitions. Therefore, there are many cases where it would be better to use a synonym of twink rather than the word twink itself.

You can turn to this list of synonyms from Power Thesaurus. See which of these words suits the context in which you plan to use this word. 

How many of these words do you already know, and which words are new to you?

  • bat
  • blink
  • blink away
  • blink of an eye
  • blinker
  • blinking
  • blinks
  • coruscate
  • cue
  • eyeball
  • flare
  • flash
  • flicker
  • flutter
  • forty winks
  • gesture
  • gleam
  • glimmer
  • glint
  • glisten
  • glister
  • glitter
  • heartbeat
  • hint
  • instant
  • jiff
  • jiffy
  • leer
  • look
  • minute
  • moment
  • motion
  • nictate
  • nictation
  • nictitate
  • nictitation
  • scintillate
  • second
  • semaphore
  • shimmer
  • shine
  • shrug
  • siesta
  • signal
  • snooze
  • sparkle
  • split second
  • squint
  • trice
  • twinkle
  • twinkling
  • twinkling of an eye
  • winking
  • winkle
  • zizz

Conclusion

The definition of a twink is different in many circumstances. Twink can be a verb meaning to wink or twinkle, slang for a young, effeminate gay man, a slang term in RPG games, and more. Twink is used in several subcultures for different meanings, so make sure that you are careful with your usage of twink. 

Sources:

  1. Wink synonyms – 1 016 Words and Phrases for Wink | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Twink Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  3. Wink | Nice Translator