• IPA: /hɪnt/

hint (plural hints)

1. A clue.

   I needed a hint to complete the crossword.

2. A tacit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.

   He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.

3. A small, barely detectable amount of.

   There was a hint of irony in his voice.

   I could taste a hint of lemon in the wine.

4. (computing) 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. Also known as hinting.

   This font does not scale well; at small point sizes it has no hinting at all, and the hints that it has for the 10- and 12-point letter 'g' still need work.

5. (obsolete) An opportunity; occasion; fit time.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2

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

• (small amount) see also Thesaurus:modicum.

• French: indication
• German: Hinweis, Tipp, Wink, Fingerzeig, Anleitung
• Italian: accenno, allusione, indizio, aiuto, dritta, suggerimento
• Portuguese: dica, indício
• Russian: подска́зка
• Spanish: pista, indicio

• German: Andeutung, Wink, Anspielung, Tipp
• Russian: намёк
• Spanish: indirecta, buscapié

• French: soupçon
• German: Spur, Hauch, Prise
• Italian: pizzico
• Portuguese: toque, quê, traço
• Spanish: toque

• German: Gelegenheit
• Russian: возмо́жность

hint (hints, present participle hinting; past and past participle hinted)

1. (intransitive) To suggest tacitly without a direct statement; to provide a clue.

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

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

   to hint a suspicion

   • 1735, [Alexander] Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot, London; Dublin: Re-printed by George Faulkner, bookseller, […], OCLC 6363280 ↗:

     Just hint a fault and hesitate dislike.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. In Six Volumes, volume (please specify ), London: Printed by A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292 ↗:

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     We shall not describe this tragical scene too fully; but we thought ourselves obliged, by that historic integrity which we profess, shortly to hint a matter which we would otherwise have been glad to have spared.

3. (transitive) To develop and add hints to a font.

   The typographer worked all day on hinting her new font so it would look good on computer screens.

• See also Thesaurus:allude

• French: faire allusion
• German: andeuten, ^{(please verify)} anspielen (de)
• Portuguese: sugerir, indiciar
• Russian: намека́ть
• Spanish: dar un indicio