glisten

1 of 2

verb

glis·​ten ˈgli-sᵊn How to pronounce glisten (audio)
glistened; glistening ˈgli-sᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce glisten (audio)

intransitive verb

: to give off a sparkling or lustrous reflection of or as if of a moist or polished surface

glisten

2 of 2

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for glisten

flash, gleam, glint, sparkle, glitter, glisten, glimmer, shimmer mean to send forth light.

flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

lightning flashed

gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

lights gleamed in the valley

glint implies a cold glancing light.

glinting steel

sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

the sparkling waters

glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

glittering diamonds

glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

glistening wet sidewalk

glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

a distant glimmering light

shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

a shimmering satin dress

Examples of glisten in a Sentence

Verb Rain made the streets glisten. The streets glistened in the rain. Her eyes glistened with tears. a long beach of glistening sand
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The closing evening looks, including sheer tops and full skirts, glistened under the paper snow that gathered on the runway. Colleen Barry, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024 There were therapy dogs – golden retrievers, Labradors, mutts and River, a puffy mini Bernedoodle with piercing eyes and a glistening black nose who came that July as a puppy. USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 Pugh strutted the red carpet glistening from head to toe in an all-silver look. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 If not for the marshy spots glistening in multiple spots on the pitch, the U.S. might have scored sooner. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 Discover unique handcrafted glass art, including this year’s signature solid glass eggs, speckled with glistening aventurine gold, along with whimsical sheep in a variety of styles for a limited time. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 The streets lead to a pale-sand public beach with a fishing pier, a charming park, and glistening views of the delicate and pristine Gulf Islands. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 The former, modeled after a traditional Scottish link, has challenging, tight fairways, and every hole offers views of the glistening Pacific. Katie Sweeney, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, moonrise for the Indianapolis area will happen by roughly 5:49 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, crossing the meridian at 12:37 a.m. before setting at 8:20 a.m. Friday. February 2024 - Snow Moon February's Snow Moon will glisten on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2024
Noun
Two decades on, the millennial glisten has given way to organic austerity; the dominant tones are now ocher and umber, turmeric and coffee. Martha Schwendener, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 As the twinkle of bulbous holiday ornaments fade away, the gilded glisten of the 2024 Golden Globes arrives, and EW has some bold predictions for winners in the major categories that could be handed out during Sunday's ceremony. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 5 Jan. 2024 Most lip oils tend to lose their glisten on me after about 20 minutes and either dry my lips out further or leave splotchy color behind. Lindsey Metrus, Peoplemag, 30 May 2023 Murray recommends shimmering shades to anyone looking to update their makeup bag, as they can be used for a subtle glisten during the day and intensified for a smokey eye at night. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2023 Deenihan applied both the Sol de Janeiro Glowmotions Glow Body Oil (in the Rio Sunset shade) and the Supergoop Play SPF 50 Spray to create a gorgeous glisten on the former Lizzie McGuire star. Claire Harmeyer, PEOPLE.com, 12 May 2022 For the glisten of recent tears, apply Stila Cosmetics Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Diamond Dust, and echo with a trace of Saie Starglow along the cheekbones and cupid’s bow. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2022 Many of Oman’s wadis, or desert valleys, dry up in the scorching summer months, but at Wadi Bani Khalid, wide pools of water glisten year-round. Michael Snyder, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2022 Richie is almost back at the water fountain, eyes a-glisten with memory. Danyel Smith, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glisten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English glistnen, from Old English glisnian; akin to Old English glisian to glitter, geolu yellow — more at yellow

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glisten was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near glisten

Cite this Entry

“Glisten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glisten. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

glisten

verb
glis·​ten
ˈglis-ᵊn
glistened; glistening
ˈglis-niŋ,
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to shine by reflection with a soft luster or sparkle
glisten noun

More from Merriam-Webster on glisten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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