Past Tense Of Blink: Definition, Use, And Exercises

By Benjamin Essek

Many students need help understanding English terms of the past tense of blink and using them interchangeably. 

In this article, we will share with you three primary English terms (or English Lemma): Past Participle, Present Participle, and Third Person Singular. 

We also show you how the word “blink” is divided into the three types mentioned above. How to pronounce and use it? We hope you will feel relaxed with the information we convey below!

What Is The Past Tense Of Blink?

Past Tense Of Blink

In English grammar, the past tense for blink is “Blinked.” Because blink is a regular verb, changing from the infinitive to the past tense requires adding the suffix “ed.” 

In the table below, we will show you the “blink” conjugation form of its three core English terms:

Infinitive Simple Past Past Participle Present Participle
Blink Blinked Blinked Blinking

Pronunciation Of The Past Tense Of Blink

The pronunciation of “blink” according to each English term differs mainly in the last syllables. Here is the official pronunciation of the irregular past tense, according to IPA:

Word (Verb Tense) Pronunciation
US UK
Blink /blɪŋk/ /blɪŋk/ 
Blinked /blɪŋkt/ /blɪŋkt/
Blinking /ˈblɪŋ.kɪŋ/ /ˈblɪŋ.kɪŋ/
Blinks /blɪŋks/ /blɪŋks/

Pronouncing the word “Blink” is not difficult, but when pronouncing this word, we must turn on the “k” tail sound; this is also considered a signature so that listeners do not get confused between blink v.s other words. Besides, “Blinked” is slightly different when its tail sound is “t”; you must pay attention to the tail sound to pronounce it correctly /blɪŋkt/.

Definition & How To Use In The Past Tense Of Blink

Definition

The word BLINK is used in three common meanings as follows:

  • The act of quickly opening and closing eyes once or several times.
  • The phenomenon of flashing lights, which turn on and off continuously.
  • Refers to someone withdrawing from a confrontation

To understand specifically about three simple meanings of “blink” in each specific situation, you can refer to the examples below:

  • Anna constantly blinked because she was so nervous during the interview.
  • The TRAC OFF signal light blinks continuously, indicating that your vehicle has problems.
  • If the agents blink, the country will face a significant threat of drugs.

Using The Past Tense Of Blink

We will provide example sentences of three real verb forms of the past tense of blink. Giving detailed examples will help you quickly visualize the most basic usage of the separate verb forms.

Past Participle: “She blinked when the light turned on suddenly.”

Present Participle: “Ben began blinking to prevent burns when his eyes were exposed to chemicals.”

Third Person Singular: “When the candlelight blinks in the wind, it lights up and turns off immediately.”

Exercises

2
Created on By Benjamin

Past Tense Of Blink

Choose the correct verb tense to fill in the (A), (B), (C), and (D):

1 / 7

I opened my eyes and…at the sunlight through the window.

2 / 7

She…the eyes when the light flashed

3 / 7

Kevin … at her in astonishment.

4 / 7

He bumped into a power pole, so the warning light ...

5 / 7

Bin … in the intense sunlight.

6 / 7

Tom … to do … exercise is essential to combat eye dryness.

7 / 7

Anna … continuously because she was confused during the interview.

Your score is

The average score is 36%

0%

FAQs

What Are The Synonyms Of Blink?

Synonyms of blink include two verb forms:

Some synonyms for blink refer to blinking eyes: wink, bat an eyelid, flutter an eyelid, flicker an eyelid, etc.

Some synonyms for blink refer to the flickering state of a light image: flash, wink, signal, glisten, flicker, twinkle, shine, glimmer, shimmer, etc.

What Is The Difference Between A Wink And A Blink?

Wink and blink have the same meaning but different usage and often need clarification. Wink refers to the act of a person intentionally closing one eye while the other is still open. The word “wink” is often used to express the gesture of greeting or flirting with someone.

In contrast, the verb form of blink refers to involuntarily closing both eyes and quickly opening them. Sometimes, we “blink” to reduce eye irritation or avoid seeing something happening.

Conclusion

The past tense of blink is simple knowledge but easy to confuse using English verbs. However, we must learn to use the three English terms “blink” properly. If you have trouble distinguishing the normal pattern of “blink,” use help from a dictionary. 

You can refer to quality and reputable dictionaries, such as Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, or Longman Dictionary. This article is helpful to you in knowing more about dialectal terms or participle verb forms.