glow
Americannoun
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a light emitted by or as if by a substance heated to luminosity; incandescence.
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brightness of color.
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a sensation or state of bodily heat.
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a warm, ruddy color of the cheeks.
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warmth of emotion or passion; ardor.
verb (used without object)
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to emit bright light and heat without flame; become incandescent.
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to shine like something intensely heated.
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to exhibit a strong, bright color; be lustrously red or brilliant.
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(of the cheeks) to exhibit a healthy, warm, ruddy color.
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to become or feel very warm or hot.
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to show emotion or elation.
to glow with pride.
noun
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light emitted by a substance or object at a high temperature
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a steady even light without flames
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brilliance or vividness of colour
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brightness or ruddiness of complexion
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a feeling of wellbeing or satisfaction
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intensity of emotion; ardour
verb
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to emit a steady even light without flames
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to shine intensely, as if from great heat
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to be exuberant or high-spirited, as from excellent health or intense emotion
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to experience a feeling of wellbeing or satisfaction
to glow with pride
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(esp of the complexion) to show a strong bright colour, esp a shade of red
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to be very hot
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has glowedperfect 3rd person singular
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have glowedperfect
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has been glowingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is glowingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are glowingprogressive
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have been glowingperfect progressive
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am glowingprogressive 1st person singular
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glowssingular 3rd person
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glowingparticiple
Past
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had glowedperfect
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were glowingprogressive plural
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had been glowingperfect progressive
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glowedparticiple
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was glowingprogressive singular
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glowedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of glow
First recorded before 1000; Middle English glowen (verb), Old English glōwan; akin to German glühen, Old Norse glōa
Explanation
To glow is to shine with light. On a clear night when the moon is full, it glows in the sky. A nightlight glows in a dark room, and a distant flashlight beam glows like a candle. Other things that glow include fireflies, TV screens, and city lights when seen from an airplane at night. A person's face can also be said to glow, when it's shining and flushed with health or happiness. The radiance of light or pleasure itself can also be called a glow, from the Old English glowan, "to shine as if red-hot."
Vocabulary lists containing glow
All Aglow: Light Lingo
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 5
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for March 6–12, 2021
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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.
The glamor of air travel’s golden age mingles with the glow of Hollywood.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
By rights, he should probably be basking in a post-retirement glow by now.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
An alternative explanation—also not perfect—is that investors now expect a stronger economy, as they bask in the warm glow emanating from artificial intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
To build the body maps, researchers first tagged nerves and immune cells in mice using fluorescent markers that glow under a microscope.
From Science Daily • May 23, 2026
A small sunbeam had bored its way down through the overhead green, and the playhouse was bathed in a warm radiant glow.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
