hint

¹hint

noun \ˈhint\

Definition of HINT

1

archaic : opportunity, turn

2

a : a statement conveying by implication what it is preferred not to say explicitly b : an indirect or summary suggestion <helpful hints>

3

: a slight indication of the existence, approach, or nature of something : clue

4

: a very small amount : suggestion <with just a hint of spice>

Examples of HINT

1. Her face gave me a hint of what she was thinking.
2. “I have a lot of work to do.” “OK, I'll leave. I can take a hint.”
3. The sauce has a subtle hint of garlic.
4. He had a hint of a German accent.
5. They'll betray you at the first hint of trouble.

Origin of HINT

probably alteration of obsolete hent act of seizing, from hent, verb

First Known Use: 1604

Related to HINT

Synonyms: clue, cue, indication, inkling, intimation, lead, suggestion

Related Words: breath, flicker, glimmer, glimpse, mention, scent, whiff, wind; hunch, idea, inspiration, notion; allusion, implication, inference, innuendo, insinuation; denotation, evidence, guidepost, key, mark, overtone, pointer, sign, signal, telltale, token; assistance, nod, prompt, tip, tip-off, wink; feeling, foreboding, intuition, premonition, presentiment, suspicion; augury, foreshadower, foretaste, harbinger, omen, portent, prefigurement, presage, symptom

Near Antonyms: answer, solution

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with HINT

bint, dint, flint, glint, lint, mint, print, quint, skint, splint, sprint, squint, stint, suint, tint