hint

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   drop a hint

   intimate by a hint

2. 2
   noun

   A clue.

   I needed a hint to complete the crossword.

3. 3
   noun

   An implicit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.

   He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.

4. 4
   noun

   A small, barely detectable amount.

   There was a hint of irony in his voice.

5. 5
   noun

   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.

6. 6
   noun

   An opportunity; occasion; fit time.

   I, not remembering how I cried out then, / Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint / That wrings mine eyes to't.

7. 7
   verb

   To imply without a direct statement; to provide a clue.

   She hinted at the possibility of a recount of the votes.

8. 8
   verb

   To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner.

   to hint a suspicion

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.