glint
Americannoun
-
glints
plural
verb (used without object)
-
glints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glinted,
past participle, past
-
glinting
present participle
-
to shine with a glint.
-
to move suddenly; dart.
verb (used with object)
-
glints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glinted,
past participle, past
-
glinting
present participle
verb
noun
-
a bright gleam or flash
-
brightness or gloss
-
a brief indication
Synonym Usage
See flash.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
glintsimple
-
glintssimple
-
have glintedperfect
-
has glintedperfect
-
am glintingprogressive
-
are glintingprogressive
-
is glintingprogressive
-
have been glintingperfect progressive
-
has been glintingperfect progressive
Past
-
glintedsimple
-
had glintedperfect
-
was glintingprogressive
-
were glintingprogressive
-
had been glintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glint
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English glint, variant of obsolete glent; compare Danish glente, Swedish dialect glänta “to glimpse, brighten”
Explanation
A glint is a brief flash or flicker of light. You might enjoy gazing at the glint of light on the water as you lie on the beach in the summer time. You can use the word glint as a noun or a verb: your brother's braces might glint in the afternoon sun, and freshly fallen snow sometimes glints under streetlamps at night. Glint is a Scottish word, first coined in the late 1700s, that comes from the Middle English glenten, "gleam, flash, or glisten." Its ultimate root is Scandinavian, possibly from the same root as the word glass.
Vocabulary lists containing glint
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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Prisoner B-3087
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A Long Way from Chicago
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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:
His poems can seem like black crystals; hold them to the light and they glint with ash, Scripture, lovers’ voices and breath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
If it doesn’t glint in the light, I’m not interested.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2026
Jacks, though, spoke with a glint in his eye – the look of a side starting to believe in themselves again - and dismissed concerns over the lack of straightforward wins.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Netflix’s purchase of WBD would result in a “big market share” he says with a glint in his eye.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
I try to get a look to see how he’s handling all this rain, but I can only just make out the golden glint of his eyes.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
A few of the people, including a man with a camera, stared at the sky, studying the way the smoke rose and shifted, letting in glints of light and then closing again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2025
"We could see it was something really exciting as despite more than 1,000 years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2024
As she walked, she examined the crowds and remarked when glints of interest caught her eye.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
These glints, or specular reflections, have been observed, for instance, on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, which helped to confirm the moon's large lakes.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 28, 2023
I find the trees especially striking, the way the rising sunlight glints off the leaves, highlighting various shades of green in different places.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
White afternoon light glinted off the stout silver handle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2024
As the Parisian runway glinted under the weight of expectation, Sarah Burton, with a profound respect for legacy and an unmistakable innovative touch, presented her magnum opus for Alexander McQueen Saturday night.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
This will be the third time in 12 months that the trumpets have sounded, the uniforms glinted and the carriages rumbled through London's streets and across TV, radio and online.
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
Its dagger-like fangs glinted in the dim light.
From Slate ● Dec. 24, 2022
Her golden hair tumbled about her shoulders, and it glinted in the morning light.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
The small canvas shows a young woman set on a dark background, her head turned towards the viewer and a pearl earring glinting from beneath her blue and cream turban.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
The light is glinting on the dogs' baubles.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
"It's like many, many thousands of rotating, glinting ruffled potato chips."
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2025
New John Deere tractors made their way last week through the sprawling port of Brunswick, Ga., their distinctive green paint glinting in the sunshine.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
“They were a gift,” I said, watching as the man squinted to avoid the glare of golden light emanating from La Llorona’s ear pendant and glinting directly into his eyes, momentarily blinding him.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
