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Glite Dictionary
💡 An indirect clue 💡 To suggest indirectly 🧂 A small amount
to hint

to hint

136 2.0
To suggest something in a quiet way without saying it directly
  • verb
  • /hɪnt/
translation icon : insinuar
  • The teacher hinted that there would be a quiz next week, but didn't say it outright.
  • hint at the possibility

Now guess what they hinted at when the peak might hit.

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Examples

  • Soon after the July 14 nuclear deal, Prime Minister Singh hinted at the political problems surrounding the pipeline.

    Academic text (2008)

  • But Putin has hinted at a partitioned Ukraine.

    Meet Kevin

  • But he began to hint about knowing things.

    Confession (2020)

  • The answer is complex, and I can only hint at some of its parts.

    Academic text (1993)

  • However, do not even hint to him that we will try to see his enemy.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The media are beginning to hint at a... fraud.

    The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

  • Are you trying to hint to us that you're hungry?

  • Several earlier conversations with his sister had hinted at his father's involvement with a girl.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The title of their volume, Betrayers of the Truth, hints at how objective they are.

    Academic text (1993)

  • However, a question posed by Representative John Smith hinted at another, more nefarious motivation for opponents of the project.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

to suggest
vsto hint
∞ 2.1

To show that something may be true without saying it directly

relies more on small signals and implication than on direct statement
to indicate
vsto hint
834 2.7

Show or suggest that something is likely true

focuses on subtle suggestion or gesture rather than clear signs
to imply
vsto hint
367 3.5

Suggest something without saying it directly

uses small statements or gestures to make meaning without saying it directly
to drop
vsto hint
  • Informal
313 4.9

To say something casually to give a hint

is intentionally indirect both by gesture and speech, not only casual mention
to allude
vsto hint
88 6.5

To mention something without saying it directly

is more about using signals or gestures rather than mere reference
to insinuate
vsto hint
42 7.8

To suggest something bad about someone without saying it directly

is neutral and not necessarily unpleasant or sly in tone
to intimate
vsto hint
  • Formal
14 7.2

To suggest something indirectly without saying it

is used openly as well as privately, not only quiet or private cues
to drop a hint
vsto hint
4 3.4

To suggest something in a quiet, indirect way

is more general indirect signaling, not only guiding one person
to adumbrate
vsto hint
  • Formal
9.9

To suggest an idea in an indirect way without full details

is more about clear small signals than only giving a faint outline

Antonyms

to declare
  • Formal
950 3.7

To officially tell other people or officials about something

to clearly state
34 2.7

Say or write something so people have no doubt

Idioms

a hint of
180 2.4

A small amount of something you can just notice

Phrasal Verbs

to drop a hint
4 3.4

To suggest something in a quiet, indirect way

How Direct

to declare
  • Formal
950 3.7
to state
∞ 1.6
to suggest
∞ 1.6
to hint
136 2.0
to insinuate
42 7.8

Surface Forms

hint infinitive
hinted past
hinted past participle
hinting present participle
hints third person singular

Etymology

To hint is to give that small signal or 'nudge' toward an idea without saying it directly, like a soft word or a look. So when you hint, you suggest something rather than state it plainly.