noun

blinker

BLIHNG-kuh

Blinker (noun) means a car's flashing turn-signal light. Example: “He forgot to turn off his blinker after the exit.”

noun

A car's flashing turn-signal light.

"He forgot to turn off his blinker after the exit."

"Use your blinker before changing lanes."

A flap fitted to a horse's bridle that stops it seeing sideways or behind.

"The racehorse wore blinkers to keep it focused on the track ahead."

Anything that limits a person's view or understanding of a situation (usually plural, "blinkers").

"His political blinkers meant he never considered the other side of the argument."

How to use blinker

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA turn signal on a car, a horse's eye-flap, or (figuratively) something that narrows what a person is willing to see or consider.

UK vs US

UK English favours "indicator" for the car light; "blinker" is more common in American English.

Common pairings

wear blinkers flick on the blinker blinkered view

Word forms

blinkered past tense, blinkers plural, blinkers singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “blinker” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

He forgot to turn off his _____ after the exit.

Etymology

Formed from blink plus the agent suffix -er, originally naming anything that flashes or blocks vision, later specialised to the horse harness piece and the car light.

Synonyms

View more →

flasher winker blinder turn signal trafficator turn indicator

Related words

blinder flasher trafficator winker exhibitionist

Rhymes for blinker

tinker sinker pinker thinker stinker Drinker

See all rhymes for blinker →

Frequently asked questions

What does “blinker” mean?

The word “blinker” means a car's flashing turn-signal light. In plain terms, a turn signal on a car, a horse's eye-flap, or (figuratively) something that narrows what a person is willing to see or consider.

How do you pronounce “blinker”?

“Blinker” is pronounced BLIHNG-kuh (/ˈblɪŋkəɹ/ in IPA).

How do you use “blinker” in a sentence?

Here is “blinker” used in a sentence: “He forgot to turn off his blinker after the exit.”

What part of speech is “blinker”?

“Blinker” is a noun.

How many meanings does “blinker” have?

“Blinker” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a car's flashing turn-signal light.

People also searched

blinder flasher trafficator winker exhibitionist