Skip to main content
to pink

to pink

9.9
To make a knocking sound in an engine when fuel burns too early
  • verb
  • /pɪŋk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : detonar
  • It's important to tune the engine properly so it doesn't pink under load.

Examples

  • If you use the wrong fuel, your car might pink when you accelerate.

  • After adjusting the timing, the engine no longer pinked on uphill climbs.

  • The engine started to pink during the drive.

  • My car began to pink after the last service.

  • After adjusting the timing, the engine no longer pinked on uphill climbs.

  • If you use the wrong fuel, your car might pink when you accelerate.

  • It's important to tune the engine properly so it doesn't pink under load.

Synonyms

to knock
vsto pink
  • Specialized
16 8.1

To make a sharp metal sound in an engine when the fuel burns too early

is less sharp and often more like a rattling noise
to ping
vsto pink
  • Specialized
7.6

To make a metallic knocking sound in an engine when fuel burns too early

has a more general tone rather than a metallic emphasis

Idioms

tickled pink
  • Informal
5 6.3

Feeling very pleased and happy

1 5.8

Being very healthy and full of energy

to tickle pink
  • Informal
1 6.3

Feel very happy and amused by something someone does

Compounds

11 4.0

A written notice telling a worker they have lost their job

1 3.1

A pale pink drink made from red grapes with their skins taken off early

pink slime
  • Literature
1 8.0

A meat filler made from small pieces of beef mixed into ground beef

A sweet pink drink made from lemon juice, sugar, and water

pink-slipped
  • Informal
1 8.1

No longer working at a job because the company laid you off

1 1.8

Having a strong, dark shade of pink

1 1.3

A pink color that looks a little red

1 8.7

A marsh plant with bright pink flowers that attracts insects

pink elephants
  • Informal
1 9.9

Imaginary animals people see when they are very drunk

1 6.7

A sweet pink cocktail made with gin, brandy, and grenadine

pink-collar
  • Jargon
1 6.6

Relating to jobs often done by women, like nursing or teaching

1 3.5

A thing that has a small amount of pink in its color

1 2.8

A light pink color with a little orange in it

A garden plant that grows every year with many small round pink flowers

A small garden flower with toothed pink petals often grown as an annual

A low garden plant that lives for many years and has fragrant pink or red flowers

A garden flower with many petals and a spicy clove smell

cottage pink
  • Specialized
8.3

A small garden plant with a strong sweet smell and pink or rosy flowers

A pale warm pink colour for walls or clothes

9.9

A small wildflower with bright red notched petals that grows each year in eastern North America

A small plant with pink or lilac flowers that have a lacy edge and a light scent

A light pink colour that looks slightly purple

A light pink color with a slight purple tint

A bright pink color with a purple tone

9.1

A small low plant with pale pink flowers and dark centers

9.7

A plant with pink flowers that grows in wet marshes

A light pink color with a slight purple tint

6.5

A low plant with pink or white flowers that spreads to cover the ground

A garden plant with soft white leaves and bright red flowers

A small garden plant with bright, often sweet smelling flowers

4.2

A light pink color mixed with gray

3.6

A soft pink colour mixed with grey

grass pink
  • Specialized
9.5

A wild orchid with pink flowers that grows in wet meadows and bogs

8.3

A garden flower with a strong sweet smell and pink blooms

9.9

A low wild plant with thin stems and pink flowers with frilly edges

9.9

A plant from Europe with pink or white flowers whose leaves make soap when crushed

8.2

A garden plant with bright red or white flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies

A small garden flower with bright, jagged-edged pink petals

A bright pink color with a touch of purple

A small garden flower with frilled rose-coloured petals often grown for one season

9.5

A small plant with pink flowers that grows on rocky slopes in the western United States

pink bollworm
  • Specialized
8.6

A small caterpillar that eats seeds inside cotton bolls and damages cotton plants

A lily with a pink flower grown for decoration in gardens

pink cockatoo
  • Australian
7.7

A medium bird from Australia with pink and grey feathers and a crest

pink disease
  • Indian
9.6

A serious fungus that forms a pink cover on the bark of coffee or citrus trees

pink disease fungus
  • Australian
9.5

A fungus that causes pink disease in plants like citrus, coffee, and rubber trees

A group of flowering plants like carnations with thick stem joints

A low plant with clusters of deep pink or white flowers that grows on sandy areas near the sea

9.9

A tropical tree that has groups of pink flowers and is grown for decoration

A tree from warm places with upright groups of pink flowers grown for decoration

A sweet light pink drink often served cold

pink water
  • Specialized
9.0

Dirty water from meat or chicken factories that is pink and needs treatment

pink fivecorner
  • Australian
9.9

A small bush from southwest Australia with scented leaves and pink flowers followed by five-sided fruit

A California plant with pink bell-shaped flowers that hang down

A pale pink colour often used for paint, clothes, and makeup

pink paper daisy
  • Australian
8.6

A plant with bright pink, papery flowers like small daisies often used dried for decoration

Water in a lake or pond that looks pink from tiny algae

A light purple color with a soft pink tint

A plant with bright pink and white daisy-like flowers that keep their colour when dried

9.6

False news on websites made to look real to attract readers

A plant part that has a pink tip, for example leaves or flower petals

A color between pink and orange

A purple color with a little pink

sea pink
  • Specialized
8.0

A low plant with pink or purple flowers that grows on coasts and rocky hills

A pale pink color with a little purple

A very light pink color that is almost white

6.1

A wild plant with pink or white flowers that grows in North America

A light color between pink and yellow

How Severe

to detonate
192 6.5
to knock
  • Specialized
16 8.1
to pink
  • Specialized
9.9
to ping
  • Specialized
7.6
tick
34 2.0

Surface Forms

pink infinitive
pinked past
pinked past participle
pinking present participle
pinks third person singular

Etymology

Pink: The engine verb pink comes from the short, sharp sound like 'ping' or 'pink' that a car engine makes when the fuel burns too early and causes a knock. So when an engine pinks, it is making that knocking noise and needs adjustment.