in the blink of an eye
50
3.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
en un abrir y cerrar de ojos
- In the blink of an eye, the lights went out.
- gone in the blink of an eye
Because it's just so easy for your life to go by in the blink of an eye.
- Because it's just so easy for your life to go by in the blink of an eye.
- And it is short and I don't care how many years you get, it is short and it is gone in the blink of an eye.
- Outside of that, I explained that if he is still technically married, things can change in the blink of an eye.
- And the manipulative quality of narcissistic relationships can leave you so confused that in the blink of an eye, you're trapped.
- It was like in the blink of an eye, it could change position and move that quickly.
- And so, in the blink of an eye, Nice becomes Comfort, attaching herself to the familiar whilst fleeing from the unknown.
- And so all three of them died in a in the blink of an eye to a guy driving in the influence of alcohol and drugs.
- And then in the blink of an eye they just do like some, I mean, I feel like people in general do this though, where they're really shit.
Examples
-
You'll be done with this place in the blink of an eye.
Fiction book (2002) -
Funny how things change in the blink of an eye.
-
These things happen in the blink of an eye.
-
Let me tell you, it is over in the blink of an eye.
-
And the fate of every living thing will be decided in the blink of an eye.
-
All this happened in an instant, in the blink of an eye.
Fiction book (1996) -
The world's population barely knew a war had started, but in the blink of an eye, our home was gone.
-
And she's out the door and gone in the blink of an eye.
Fiction book (2001) -
And just in the blink of an eye, the whole stretch turned into a blast furnace, just fire everywhere.
-
And so, in the blink of an eye, Nice becomes Comfort, attaching herself to the familiar whilst fleeing from the unknown.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Moving or happening quickly
∞
1.0
At a fast speed or without delay
∞
1.0
Quickly and without warning
∞
1.0
At once without waiting
987
2.7
Very quickly and without warning
446
1.4
In a very short time
344
1.0
Immediately without delay
330
1.0
Right away without any delay
145
3.3
In a sudden way that gives no warning
116
7.1
Happens quickly and without warning
84
1.0
Quickly and smoothly
50
3.2
Right away without any hesitation
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
25
5.6
Happen at once without delay
14
7.6
A single sudden action that happens all at once
13
3.0
Happening suddenly and without warning
4
6.0
Very quickly and without hesitation
3
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
1
5.1
To happen or be done very quickly
1
3.5
Very quickly, in an instant
1
2.0
Happen very fast
Happen very quickly in the short time it takes to blink an eye
Very quickly, in almost no time
Happens very quickly
In a very short time
In a very short time
In a very fast way that happens almost instantly
Very quickly and in a hurry
Antonyms
How Fast
330
1.0
- Informal
50
3.3
- Informal
35
2.5
∞
1.0
54
1.7
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + the + blink + of + an + eye
The meaning 'extremely quickly' is directly inferable from the constituents: a 'blink' of the 'eye' denotes a very brief interval, and the prepositional framing indicates occurrence within that brief time. This is a transparent, image-based metaphor with close cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish, French) so a B1 learner who knows the words will readily grasp the meaning.
Etymology
The idiom in the blink of an eye comes from the very quick closing and opening of the eye in a single blink. That's why it means 'in an instant'.