1 hint
Pronounced:
/ˈhɪnt/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural hintsMeaning:
[count] 1 : a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or do something more easily ▪ I can't tell you the answer, but I'll give you a hint. [=clue] ▪ The book includes helpful hints [=tips] for inexperienced cooks.
2 : information about something given in an indirect way ▪ Her face gave me a hint of what she was thinking. ; especially : a statement that suggests something that you do not want to say in a direct way ▪ He's been dropping hints that he'd like to be invited to the party. [=he has been saying things that show that he wants to be invited] ▪ When she told me how much work she had to do, I got/took the hint [=I understood what she was suggesting] and left. ▪ “I have a lot of work to do.” “OK, I'll leave. I can take a hint.”
3 : a very small amount of something ▪ The sauce has a subtle hint of garlic. ▪ It was late March, but there was still a hint [=trace] of winter in the air. ▪ He had a hint of a German accent. ▪ They'll betray you at the first hint of trouble.
2 : information about something given in an indirect way ▪ Her face gave me a hint of what she was thinking. ; especially : a statement that suggests something that you do not want to say in a direct way ▪ He's been dropping hints that he'd like to be invited to the party. [=he has been saying things that show that he wants to be invited] ▪ When she told me how much work she had to do, I got/took the hint [=I understood what she was suggesting] and left. ▪ “I have a lot of work to do.” “OK, I'll leave. I can take a hint.”
3 : a very small amount of something ▪ The sauce has a subtle hint of garlic. ▪ It was late March, but there was still a hint [=trace] of winter in the air. ▪ He had a hint of a German accent. ▪ They'll betray you at the first hint of trouble.