glint
1 of 2verb
ˈglint 
glinted; glinting; glints
intransitive verb
1
a
archaic : to glance off an object
b
of rays of light : to be reflected at an angle from a surface
2
: to give off reflection in brilliant flashes
also : gleam
3
: to look quickly or briefly : glance
4
: to appear briefly or faintly
transitive verb
: to cause to glint
glint
2 of 2noun
1
: a tiny bright flash of light
2
: a brief or faint manifestation : glimmer
a glint of recognition
also : a trace of emotion expressed through the eyes
a steely glint in his eye
Synonyms
Verb
- coruscate
- flame
- flash
- glance
- gleam
- glimmer
- glisten
- glister
- glitter
- luster
- lustre
- scintillate
- shimmer
- spangle
- sparkle
- twinkle
- wink
- winkle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The sun glinted off the tops of the waves. The waves glinted in the sunlight. Noun He saw glints of sunlight on the river's surface.
Recent Examples on the Web
Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022 Scissors glint under the tank’s white and blue lights as astronaut Mark Vandahei and his team snip the stems of those that are ready for harvest. Melanie Canales, Wired, 21 Dec. 2021 The way some of the clips glint in the light is truly a work of art. Sara Miranda, Allure, 20 Sep. 2021 In one, strips of crystal marked by glowing red imperfections seem to glint with spectral light along a blue background. Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 7 Apr. 2021 Some things skitter back into the dark but a few things glint with minor promise. New York Times, 3 Feb. 2021 The set included a large base plate with those foods, written in Hebrew, scrawled across the center in glinting gold lettering, and lined with six more individual dishes, each glazed in shades of sea foam green and cerulean blue. Betsy Blumenthal, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2020 With that eye-catching orange glinting off heavily creased bodywork, our NX300h was easy to spot among the horde of otherwise ordinary crossovers and SUVs that saturate parking lots. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 20 Feb. 2020 Her hands were pale and slender, with long, delicate fingers that always glinted with a fresh French-tip manicure. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2020 Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 Pagliarulo says with a glint in his eye, knowing how much fans love (and love to hate) the character. Wired, 5 July 2022 Hearing an accordionist’s micro-shifts in rhythm was like watching the surface of the ocean, the unexpected glint momentarily at odds with the tide before merging again. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 Olsen likes the balance and glint of a pair of mirrors hung over nightstands with table lamps on them on either side of a bed. Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2021 Writing any story is a process of projection and omission, and fragments of an old tale, excavated from the mound of history, will often catch a glint of the zeitgeist. Rebecca Panovka, The New Yorker, 2 June 2021 Wordle Bot was much more enthusiastic about my third guess, glint. Erik Kain, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 The blue glint on the ambulance parked behind him is wrong. Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2022 There, the emphasis was not only on honing in on his spycraft skills, but being able to speak English so well that only a glint of an accent was evident. Fox News, 24 Mar. 2022 See More
Verb
This glazed ceramic dish and bowl hold just enough water to let sunlight glint off the surface. Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022 Scissors glint under the tank’s white and blue lights as astronaut Mark Vandahei and his team snip the stems of those that are ready for harvest. Melanie Canales, Wired, 21 Dec. 2021 The way some of the clips glint in the light is truly a work of art. Sara Miranda, Allure, 20 Sep. 2021 In one, strips of crystal marked by glowing red imperfections seem to glint with spectral light along a blue background. Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 7 Apr. 2021 Some things skitter back into the dark but a few things glint with minor promise. New York Times, 3 Feb. 2021 The set included a large base plate with those foods, written in Hebrew, scrawled across the center in glinting gold lettering, and lined with six more individual dishes, each glazed in shades of sea foam green and cerulean blue. Betsy Blumenthal, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2020 With that eye-catching orange glinting off heavily creased bodywork, our NX300h was easy to spot among the horde of otherwise ordinary crossovers and SUVs that saturate parking lots. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 20 Feb. 2020 Her hands were pale and slender, with long, delicate fingers that always glinted with a fresh French-tip manicure. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2020 Noun
Their debut collection features three gin blends: a Barrel Aged gin with a woody and smoky taste; a Blushing Pink gin, with a glint of sweetness and pink pepper spice. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 Pagliarulo says with a glint in his eye, knowing how much fans love (and love to hate) the character. Wired, 5 July 2022 Hearing an accordionist’s micro-shifts in rhythm was like watching the surface of the ocean, the unexpected glint momentarily at odds with the tide before merging again. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 Olsen likes the balance and glint of a pair of mirrors hung over nightstands with table lamps on them on either side of a bed. Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2021 Writing any story is a process of projection and omission, and fragments of an old tale, excavated from the mound of history, will often catch a glint of the zeitgeist. Rebecca Panovka, The New Yorker, 2 June 2021 Wordle Bot was much more enthusiastic about my third guess, glint. Erik Kain, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 The blue glint on the ambulance parked behind him is wrong. Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2022 There, the emphasis was not only on honing in on his spycraft skills, but being able to speak English so well that only a glint of an accent was evident. Fox News, 24 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, to dart obliquely, glint, alteration of glenten, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect glänta to clear up; akin to Old High German glanz bright, Old English geolu yellow — more at yellow
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
glint 1 of 2
verb
ˈglint
glinted; glinting
: to shine with tiny bright flashes
glint
2 of 2noun
: a brief flash
glints 1 of 2
verb
1
as in gleams
to shoot forth bursts of light the cat's eyes glinted in the moonlight Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- gleams
- shimmers
- flashes
- sparkles
- glimmers
- twinkles
- shines
- glitters
- glistens
- spangles
- glows
- glances
- scintillates
- glisters
- winks
- lusters
- flames
- lustres
- winkles
- beams
- coruscates
- dazzles
- radiates
- flares
- glares
- blinds
- bedazzles
- dazes
- blazes
- burns
2
as in glances
to take a quick or hasty look the thief glinted around the corner to see if anyone was coming Synonyms & Similar Words
- glances
- peeks
- glimpses
- squints
- dips
- skims
- scans
- browses
- peeps
- rakes
- blinks
- looks over
- keeks
- peruses
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stares
- gazes
- examines
- overlooks
- views
- questions
- surveys
- oversees
- studies
- peers
- pries
- goggles
- leers
- gawks
- rubbernecks
- ogles
glints
2 of 2noun
as in sparkles
Synonyms & Similar Words
- sparkles
- gleams
- shimmers
- glimmers
- twinkles
- scintillations
- shines
- glows
- glitters
- glares
- flashes
- sunlights
- fluorescences
- radiances
- beams
- blazes
- sunshines
- rays
- illuminations
- sunbeams
- flares
- lights
- luminescences
- haloes
- aureoles
- glistens
- daylights
- streaks
- moonlights
- sheens
- lusters
- auroras
- polishes
- halos
- incandescences
- reflections
- streams
- afterglows
- shafts
- aurorae
- glosses
- lustres
- aureolae
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- shadows
- glooms
- nights
- darks
- dusks