glisten
Americanverb (used without object)
-
glistens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glistened,
past participle, past
-
glistening
present participle
noun
verb
-
(of a wet or glossy surface) to gleam by reflecting light
wet leaves glisten in the sunlight
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(of light) to reflect with brightness
the sunlight glistens on wet leaves
noun
Synonym Usage
Glisten, shimmer, sparkle refer to different ways in which light is reflected from surfaces. Glisten refers to a lustrous light, as from something sleek or wet, or it may refer to myriads of tiny gleams reflected from small surfaces: Wet fur glistens. Snow glistens in the sunlight. Shimmer refers to the changing play of light on a (generally moving) surface, as of water or silk: Moonbeams shimmer on water. Silk shimmers in a high light. To sparkle is to give off sparks or small ignited particles, or to send forth small but brilliant gleams, sometimes by reflection: A diamond sparkles with numerous points of light.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glistensimple
-
glistenssimple
-
have glistenedperfect
-
has glistenedperfect
-
am glisteningprogressive
-
are glisteningprogressive
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is glisteningprogressive
-
have been glisteningperfect progressive
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has been glisteningperfect progressive
Past
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glistenedsimple
-
had glistenedperfect
-
was glisteningprogressive
-
were glisteningprogressive
-
had been glisteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glisten
First recorded before 1000; Middle English glis(t)nen (verb), Old English glisnian, derivative of glisian “to glitter; ” see -en 1
Explanation
Glisten is a verb meaning that something looks shiny, like it's wet. Rocks on the beach glisten in the sun. And your sister’s prom dress, covered in sequins, no doubt will glisten under the disco ball. The word glisten can also be used metaphorically. After you tossed and turned throughout the night, in the morning, you could see the perfect solution glisten right in front of you. As a noun, a glisten is a bright shine. When you are driving into the setting sun, the glisten of the sun on the hood of the car makes it hard to see.
Vocabulary lists containing glisten
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Silver pearls glisten on the men’s foreheads and their eyes are sunken deep in their pale faces, framed in a stubble of beard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
This is where the dip starts to glisten.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025
At fish counters across Long Island, imported salmon fillets glisten in greater profusion than local mackerel and black sea bass.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
As its golden domes glisten in the winter sunshine, you can still see where grass has struggled to regrow.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023
With each bite her eyes began to glisten with energy, and, like a flame, she soon flickered and stood tall.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
"In the sunlight, the horse glistens" thanks to its "fine, hollow-core hair, which reflects light differently."
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The morning frost glistens, and—in a clever device—the low sun glimmers through a row of unseen, leafless trees behind the artist, casting crisscrossing, rhythmic shadows on the furrows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
There, in the front window, glistens a massive Maria Theresa-style chandelier that once shimmered in the hotel’s ballroom, its many crystals winking at you in the refracted light.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
Its white, fatty texture glistens next to her generic-brand kibble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2022
Sweat glistens on the rolls of fat on the back of his head.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
The sweat that glistened on his arms and soaked his shirt as he bowled in the baking heat of Saturday.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025
An array of whole peeled tangerines, strawberries, hawthorn berries and green and red grapes glistened on my phone screen like jewels you only admire but can’t touch.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025
As Huntington’s 20-plus varieties of sausage glistened behind glass, owner Jim Cascone said he was “very honored” to have the vice president’s business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
Clearly moved, Chapman’s eyes glistened when the crowd roared as she played the 1988 song’s unforgettable guitar riff.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
Their horses were of great stature, strong and clean-limbed; their grey coats glistened, their long tails flowed in the wind, their manes were braided on their proud necks.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
The meat was so glistening that it caught the light of the disco ball.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Pericana lands dark and red and glistening with oil, a spread for bread made with sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, and cured fish.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Because I’m very happy with the mural,” she said, eyes glistening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
He also came to treasure his time mowing the fairways each morning before the golfers arrived, the dew glistening on the grass while the nibbling, untroubled deer looked on from the rough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Roz’s head dipped underwater, and she heard a flurry of clicks and whistles, and when she popped up again, she spotted a family of whales glistening in the starlight as they raced through the waves.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
