jink

1 of 2

verb

ˈjiŋk

jinked; jinking; jinks

Synonyms of jink next

intransitive verb

: to move quickly or unexpectedly with sudden turns and shifts (as in dodging)

jink

2 of 2

noun

: a quick evasive turn : slip

jinks plural : pranks, frolics

especially : high jinks

Did you know?

Besides the fact that jink first appears in Scottish English, the exact origins of this shifty little word are unknown. What can be said with certainty is that the word has always expressed a quick or unexpected motion. For instance, in two poems from 1785, Robert Burns uses jink as a verb to indicate both the quick motion of a fiddler's elbow and the sudden disappearance of a cheat around a corner. In the 20th century, the verb caught on with air force pilots and rugby players, who began using it to describe their elusive maneuvers to dodge opponents and enemies. Jink can also be used as a noun meaning "a quick evasive turn" or, in its plural form, "pranks." The latter use was likely influenced by the term high jinks, which originally referred in the late 17th century to a Scottish drinking game and later came to refer to horseplay.

Examples of jink in a Sentence

Verb jinking here and there with remarkable agility, the thieving urchin frustrated all attempts to catch him

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Verb

On the day of our recent visit, the place was little more than a 3.5-mile loop of pavement—albeit one that jinks across the land like a back road in the Great Smoky Mountains, with 127 feet of elevation change from beginning to end. —

Sam Smith, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2024 None of these changes affects the Chiron's remarkable docility at low speeds or its ability to jink into corners like a car of two-thirds its mass on the tight, two-lane French country roads near the Circuit Paul Ricard. —

Ben Oliver, Car and Driver, 30 Sep. 2021

Noun

The line is played for high-jink amusement, but there’s a lurking horror to the broader situation. —

Vulture, 30 Aug. 2022 His first of the game was a long range effort that flew into the top corner, his second a jink and finish from just inside the penalty area reminiscent of Paul Scholes. —

SI.com, 13 Aug. 2019 See all Example Sentences for jink