blinker
blinker Lexical Profile
blinker Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American A flashing light on a motor vehicle used to indicate a directional turn or lane change.
"She forgot to use her blinker before merging onto the crowded highway."
British A small screen placed on either side of a horse's eyes to prevent it from seeing to the side or behind.
"The carriage horses wore blinkers to keep them from being spooked by the heavy city traffic."
A person or thing that blinks or emits an intermittent flashing light.
"The warning beacon acts as a rapid blinker, alerting ships to the rocky coastline in the fog."
• verb
To obscure, limit, or narrow someone's vision, understanding, or perspective.
"His strict ideological upbringing blinkered his ability to accept alternative viewpoints."
To put blinkers on a horse to restrict its field of vision.
"The trainer blinkered the young stallion to help him focus entirely on the track ahead."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American English, 'blinker' almost exclusively refers to a vehicle's turn signal. In British English, the plural 'blinkers' is commonly used to describe a horse's eye-screens, whereas Americans prefer the term 'blinders' for that context.
• Rhymes for blinker
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb 'blink' combined with the agent suffix '-er'. The sense referring to a horse's eye-screens dates to the late 18th century, while the automotive sense (turn signal) emerged in the early 20th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.