gleam

1 of 2

noun

ˈglēm

: a transient appearance of subdued or partly obscured light

the gleam of dawn in the east

b(1)

: a small bright light

the gleam of a match

(2)

: glint

a gleam in his eyes

: a brief or faint appearance

a gleam of hope

gleamy

ˈglē-mē

adjective

gleam

2 of 2

verb

gleamed; gleaming; gleams

intransitive verb

: to shine with or as if with subdued steady light or moderate brightness

: to appear briefly or faintly

a light gleamed in the distance

transitive verb

: to cause to gleam

Example Sentences

Noun He saw the gleam of a flashlight in the distance. the rich gleam of the polished wood Verb The sun gleamed on the water. His eyes were gleaming with delight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Within the space of a close-up (the film was shot by Alfonso Herrera Salcedo), the sorrowful gleam in Faye’s eyes and the lines etched in her brow tell a moving and eloquent story, even before the movie itself makes some of that story explicit.

Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2022 Follow with moisturizer but not too much: Excess hydration will cause a makeup landslide, said New York makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, who works with gleam queens like Bieber.

Amber Kallor, WSJ, 26 July 2022 The 4-inch square tiles gleam like oyster shells in the light.

Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022 The players’ polished brass instruments gleam like mirrors.

Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2022 Like The World Games is to those blinded by the gleam of the Olympics.

John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 7 July 2022 Beetles lured in by the brownish gleam of textured glass have tried to bed beer bottles in the Australian west.

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022 Laker cut the solutions down to just six but again, gleam would have been better.

Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 May 2022 The couches are upholstered in nubby linen and tossed with colorful, elephant patterned pillows, and the fixtures in your bathroom gleam.

Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 19 May 2022

Verb

The music grew diffuse, those nuances that detail Dvorak’s fascination with Black musical vernaculars felt unarticulated, and what was supposed to gleam often felt, well, glum.

Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2022 During the summer, when the sun spends months above the horizon, the inner parts of the animals’ eyes, a structure called the tapetum lucidum, gleam a shimmering gold.

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 June 2022 Emerald-green grasses compete for attention with knee-high dandelion puffs, while closer to the ground blue violets and yellow mock strawberry blossoms gleam like jewels.

Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2022 Jets still scream and muscles still gleam in the ridiculous and often ridiculously entertaining sequel, though in several respects, the movie evinces — and rewards — an unusual investment of brainpower, writes film critic Justin Chang.

Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2022 Smith, a former Dr. Who, excels at the poor-little-rich-boy villainy of his character, a tragic aristocrat whose eyes gleam with mania.

Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2022 Small details gleam from the corners — the rippling beta-carotene richness of each furry panda filament; the excitable sidekick (Hyein Park) so tightly wound that even her affirmations come out like a WWE scream.

Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2022 But if brought into the light, their iridescent bodies will gleam, looking different from every angle.

New York Times, 17 Feb. 2022 That’s when the roof’s composite panels gleam in the sun and the building comes to resemble a perfect wave gently curling into water before it.

Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2022 See More

Kids Definition

gleam 1 of 2

noun

ˈglēm

: a faint, soft, or reflected light

the first gleam of dawn

: a bright or shining look

She had a gleam in her eyes.

: a short or slight appearance

a gleam of hope

gleam

2 of 2

verb

gleamed; gleaming

: to shine with a soft light

: to give out gleams of light

gleam 1 of 2

noun

as in glow

the steady giving off of the form of radiation that makes vision possible the door opened a crack and let in a gleam of light from the hallway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

glow
glare
glint
light
glimmer
twinkle
illumination
sunlight
beam
luminescence
radiance
shine
incandescence
fluorescence
blaze
moonlight
sparkle
ray
flash
shimmer
flare
reflection
glitter
sunshine
glisten
scintillation
sheen
sunbeam
daylight
aurora
streak
luster
aureole
halo
polish
lustre
stream
gloss
aureola
shaft
afterglow

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dark
gloom
shadow
darkness
night
dimness
dusk
blackness
duskiness

gleam

2 of 2

verb

as in to glint

to shoot forth bursts of light fine china and stemware gleaming in the candlelight

Synonyms & Similar Words

glint
twinkle
sparkle
flash
shimmer
glisten
shine
glitter
glimmer
glow
luster
glance
glister
wink
spangle
flame
lustre
scintillate
coruscate
winkle
beam
dazzle
blind
glare
flare
radiate
daze
blaze
bedazzle
burn

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of gleam are flash, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, shimmer, and sparkle. While all these words mean "to send forth light," gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

lights gleamed in the valley

While the synonyms flash and gleam are close in meaning, flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

lightning flashed

While in some cases nearly identical to gleam, glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

a distant glimmering light

Although the words glint and gleam have much in common, glint implies a cold glancing light.

glinting steel

The words glisten and gleam can be used in similar contexts, but glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

glistening wet sidewalk

The words glitter and gleam are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

glittering diamonds

In some situations, the words shimmer and gleam are roughly equivalent. However, shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

a shimmering satin dress

The meanings of sparkle and gleam largely overlap; however, sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

the sparkling waters

单词	gleam
释义	gleam 1 of 2 noun ˈglēm 1 a : a transient appearance of subdued or partly obscured light the gleam of dawn in the east b(1) : a small bright light the gleam of a match (2) : glint a gleam in his eyes 2 : a brief or faint appearance a gleam of hope gleamy ˈglē-mē adjective gleam 2 of 2 verb gleamed; gleaming; gleams intransitive verb 1 : to shine with or as if with subdued steady light or moderate brightness 2 : to appear briefly or faintly a light gleamed in the distance transitive verb : to cause to gleam Synonyms Noun blaze flare fluorescence glare glow illumination incandescence light luminescence radiance shine Verb coruscate flame flash glance glimmer glint glisten glister glitter luster lustre scintillate shimmer spangle sparkle twinkle wink winkle See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun He saw the gleam of a flashlight in the distance. the rich gleam of the polished wood Verb The sun gleamed on the water. His eyes were gleaming with delight. Recent Examples on the Web Noun Within the space of a close-up (the film was shot by Alfonso Herrera Salcedo), the sorrowful gleam in Faye’s eyes and the lines etched in her brow tell a moving and eloquent story, even before the movie itself makes some of that story explicit. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2022 Follow with moisturizer but not too much: Excess hydration will cause a makeup landslide, said New York makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, who works with gleam queens like Bieber. Amber Kallor, WSJ, 26 July 2022 The 4-inch square tiles gleam like oyster shells in the light. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022 The players’ polished brass instruments gleam like mirrors. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2022 Like The World Games is to those blinded by the gleam of the Olympics. John Archibald \| Jarchibald@al.com, al, 7 July 2022 Beetles lured in by the brownish gleam of textured glass have tried to bed beer bottles in the Australian west. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022 Laker cut the solutions down to just six but again, gleam would have been better. Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 May 2022 The couches are upholstered in nubby linen and tossed with colorful, elephant patterned pillows, and the fixtures in your bathroom gleam. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 19 May 2022 Verb The music grew diffuse, those nuances that detail Dvorak’s fascination with Black musical vernaculars felt unarticulated, and what was supposed to gleam often felt, well, glum. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2022 During the summer, when the sun spends months above the horizon, the inner parts of the animals’ eyes, a structure called the tapetum lucidum, gleam a shimmering gold. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 June 2022 Emerald-green grasses compete for attention with knee-high dandelion puffs, while closer to the ground blue violets and yellow mock strawberry blossoms gleam like jewels. Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2022 Jets still scream and muscles still gleam in the ridiculous and often ridiculously entertaining sequel, though in several respects, the movie evinces — and rewards — an unusual investment of brainpower, writes film critic Justin Chang. Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2022 Smith, a former Dr. Who, excels at the poor-little-rich-boy villainy of his character, a tragic aristocrat whose eyes gleam with mania. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2022 Small details gleam from the corners — the rippling beta-carotene richness of each furry panda filament; the excitable sidekick (Hyein Park) so tightly wound that even her affirmations come out like a WWE scream. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2022 But if brought into the light, their iridescent bodies will gleam, looking different from every angle. New York Times, 17 Feb. 2022 That’s when the roof’s composite panels gleam in the sun and the building comes to resemble a perfect wave gently curling into water before it. Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun Middle English gleem, from Old English glǣm; akin to Old English geolu yellow — more at yellow First Known Use Noun 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb 1508, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1 Kids Definition gleam 1 of 2 noun ˈglēm 1 : a faint, soft, or reflected light the first gleam of dawn 2 : a bright or shining look She had a gleam in her eyes. 3 : a short or slight appearance a gleam of hope gleam 2 of 2 verb gleamed; gleaming 1 : to shine with a soft light 2 : to give out gleams of light Choose the Right Synonym for gleam Verb gleam, sparkle, and glitter mean to send forth light. gleam is used when light shines through something else or is reflected or shines against a dark background. The lighthouse gleamed through the fog. sparkle is used for something that has several changing points of light. Water sparkled in the sunlight. glitter is used for a brilliant sparkling of light. The jewels glittered brightly. gleam 1 of 2 noun as in glow the steady giving off of the form of radiation that makes vision possible the door opened a crack and let in a gleam of light from the hallway Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance glow glare glint light glimmer twinkle illumination sunlight beam luminescence radiance shine incandescence fluorescence blaze moonlight sparkle ray flash shimmer flare reflection glitter sunshine glisten scintillation sheen sunbeam daylight aurora streak luster aureole halo polish lustre stream gloss aureola shaft afterglow Antonyms & Near Antonyms dark gloom shadow darkness night dimness dusk blackness duskiness See More gleam 2 of 2 verb as in to glint to shoot forth bursts of light fine china and stemware gleaming in the candlelight Synonyms & Similar Words glint twinkle sparkle flash shimmer glisten shine glitter glimmer glow luster glance glister wink spangle flame lustre scintillate coruscate winkle beam dazzle blind glare flare radiate daze blaze bedazzle burn Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of gleam are flash, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, shimmer, and sparkle. While all these words mean "to send forth light," gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background. lights gleamed in the valley While the synonyms flash and gleam are close in meaning, flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light. lightning flashed While in some cases nearly identical to gleam, glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam. a distant glimmering light Although the words glint and gleam have much in common, glint implies a cold glancing light. glinting steel The words glisten and gleam can be used in similar contexts, but glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface. glistening wet sidewalk The words glitter and gleam are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming. glittering diamonds In some situations, the words shimmer and gleam are roughly equivalent. However, shimmer means shining with a wavering light. a shimmering satin dress The meanings of sparkle and gleam largely overlap; however, sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light. the sparkling waters
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gleam

noun

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun

verb

Choose the Right Synonym for gleam

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser