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winkle out. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
winkle out, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
winkle out in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
winkle out you have here. The definition of the word
winkle out will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
winkle out, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From winkle (“to extract”), from periwinkle (“a mollusk”).
Verb
winkle out (third-person singular simple present winkles out, present participle winkling out, simple past and past participle winkled out)
- (transitive, British) To acquire with difficulty, as by thorough scrutiny.
Tom managed to winkle the truth out of John eventually.
- (transitive) To get (something or someone) out of an entrenched position.
2011, Ken Ford, Operation Archery: The Commandos and the Vaagso Raid 1941, page 59:[…] was mopping up the remnants of German resistance and trying to winkle out individual enemy soldiers from their hiding places.
2012, Raphael Samuel, Theatres of Memory: Past and Present in Contemporary Culture, page 67:[…] using cloak-and-dagger methods to winkle out unwanted tenants and assemble vacant sites […]