hint
A clue.
Noun 4 meanings
A clue.
“I needed a hint to complete the crossword.”
An implicit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.
“He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.”
A small, barely detectable amount.
“There was a hint of irony in his voice.”
Information in a computer-based font that suggests how the outlines of the font's glyphs should be distorted in order to produce, at specific sizes, a visually appealing pixel-based rendering; an instance of hinting.
“This font does not scale well to small sizes; the hints for the 10-point letter 'g' still need work.”
Verb 3 meanings
To imply without a direct statement; to provide a clue.
“She hinted at the possibility of a recount of the votes.”
To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner.
“to hint a suspicion”
To develop and add hints to a font.
“The typographer worked all day on hinting her new font so it would look good on computer screens.”
Interjection 1 meaning
Signifies that something previously said should be taken as a hint or heeded closely.
“And yes, as long as you are being a good coder and engaging in safe practices, nothing should go wrong. (Hint, hint.)”
Etymology
From Middle English hinten, hynten, variant of henten (“to lay hold of, catch”), from Old English hentan (“to seize, grasp”), from Proto-West Germanic *hantijan, from Proto-Germanic *hantijaną. Doublet of hent. Related also to hunt.
Similar and opposite words
HINT at a glance
HINT has 4 letters and scores 7 points in Scrabble (H 4 + I 1 + N 1 + T 1) and 7 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #6,262 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with hint
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