hint

UK: /ˈhɪnt/ US: /hɪnt/ ,(hint)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

hint /hɪnt/   n. [countable]

1. an indirect, partly hidden, or helpful suggestion;
   clue:
   Give me a hint as to his intentions.
2. a very slight amount that can barely be noticed:
   a hint of garlic in the salad dressing.

v. 

3. to give a hint of:
   [~ + object] The gray skies hinted a possible snowfall.
4. to make indirect suggestion;
   imply: [~ + at + object]
   hinted at a solution to the problem.
   [ ~ + at + verb-ing]:
   She hinted at leaving but then never did.
   [~ + (that) clause]
   hinted that changes were coming.

hint•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

hint  (hint), n. 

1. an indirect, covert, or helpful suggestion;
   clue:
   Give me a hint as to his identity.
2. a very slight or hardly noticeable amount;
   soupçon:
   a hint of garlic in the salad dressing.
3. perceived indication or suggestion;
   note;
   intimation:
   a hint of spring in the air.
4. [Obs.] an occasion or opportunity.

v.t. 

5. to give a hint of:
   gray skies hinting a possible snowfall.

v.i. 

6. to make indirect suggestion or allusion;
   subtly imply (usually fol. by at):
   The article hinted at corruption in the mayor's office.

• 1595–1605; (noun, nominal) origin, originally, opportunity, occasion, apparently variant of obsolete hent grasp, act of seizing, derivative of the verb, verbal: to grasp, take, Middle English henten, Old English hentan; (verb, verbal) derivative of the noun, nominal

hint′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. allusion, insinuation, innuendo; memorandum, reminder; inkling.
• 5. imply.
  Hint, intimate, insinuate, suggest denote the conveying of an idea to the mind indirectly or without full or explicit statement. To hint is to convey an idea covertly or indirectly, but intelligibly:
  to hint that one would like a certain present; to hint that bits of gossip might be true.
  To intimate is to give a barely perceptible hint, often with the purpose of influencing action:
  to intimate that something may be possible.
  To insinuate is to hint artfully, often at what one would not dare to say directly:
  to insinuate something against someone's reputation.
  Suggest denotes particularly recalling something to the mind or starting a new train of thought by means of association of ideas:
  The name doesn't suggest anything to me.

Antonyms

• 5. express, declare.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

hint / hɪnt/ noun

1. a suggestion or implication given in an indirect or subtle manner
2. a helpful piece of advice or practical suggestion
3. a small amount; trace

verb

1. when intr, often followed by at; when tr, takes a clause as object: to suggest or imply indirectly

Etymology: 17th Century: of uncertain origin