sparkle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sparkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sparkled,
past participle, past
-
sparkling
present participle
-
to issue in or as if in little sparks, as fire or light.
The candlelight sparkled in the crystal.
-
to emit little sparks, as burning matter.
The flames leaped and sparkled.
-
to shine or glisten with little gleams of light, as a brilliant gem; glitter; coruscate.
-
to effervesce, as wine.
-
to be brilliant, lively, or vivacious.
verb (used with object)
-
sparkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sparkled,
past participle, past
-
sparkling
present participle
noun
-
sparkles
plural
-
a little spark or fiery particle.
-
a sparkling appearance, luster, or play of light.
the sparkle of a diamond.
- Synonyms:
- glitter
-
brilliance, liveliness, or vivacity.
verb
-
to issue or reflect or cause to issue or reflect bright points of light
-
(intr) (of wine, mineral water, etc) to effervesce
-
(intr) to be vivacious or witty
noun
-
a point of light, spark, or gleam
-
vivacity or wit
Synonym Usage
See glisten.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sparklesimple
-
sparklessimple
-
have sparkledperfect
-
has sparkledperfect
-
am sparklingprogressive
-
are sparklingprogressive
-
is sparklingprogressive
-
have been sparklingperfect progressive
-
has been sparklingperfect progressive
Past
-
sparkledsimple
-
had sparkledperfect
-
was sparklingprogressive
-
were sparklingprogressive
-
had been sparklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sparkle
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English (noun and verb); see spark 1, -le
Explanation
Fairy dust, stars, Christmas lights, Hanukkah candles, freshly fallen snow, a lake when the sun hits it just right — all of these things sparkle. That means they shine with a bright, glistening, shimmering light. Sparkle can also refer to joy or merriment. When you're having a really good time, your face will sparkle. As a verb, sparkle means to be lively and excited, or to be so brilliant at something that you shine above the rest. It can also describe something bubbly or foamy — like when you add soap to your bath to make the bathwater sparkle. Sparkle can also describe something that produces sparks — like a magic wand.
Vocabulary lists containing sparkle
NAEP Test Words
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"The Forgotten Treasure" and "There Is No Word for Goodbye"
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"Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates"
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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:
The man behind all that sparkle and shine was Bob Mackie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The American fashion designer, who died on Monday, made A-list performers sparkle for more than half a century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
"I just feel like her sparkle lives on in all of us," said Rickards.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Brilliant blue and white stars sparkle against glowing crimson clouds of hydrogen gas, creating a breathtaking scene that resembles fireworks shining through drifting smoke.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
That view popped into Jackson’s mind—the endless green forest, the bright sparkle of the river, how the snow-topped mountains looked as if they were wearing diamond crowns.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
The repartee sparkles; the farcical touches lighten the tone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
A brilliant field of red, white, and blue stars sparkles across a new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, resembling a sparkler glowing against the night sky.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
She grilled Claude for the right combination of swish and sparkles, to the amusement of her nosy older sister.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
And inspiration is easy to find in this piece of North America’s so-called “Galapagos,” where the Pacific sparkles in the background of any burn scar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
A planet made of sparkles and glass and beats that make the aliens pump their fists and wave their arms around like snakes.
From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds
In a wry nod to Homer, he gives us a “sea that sparkled like lager.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
It comes after the 28-year-old sparkled in a glittering gold tennis dress that resembled "the Eiffel Tower at night" at the French Open, having worn a spectacular jellyfish-inspired outfit at the Australian Open in January.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Tuesday evening’s April quarter earnings sparkled, as sales of $3 billion and earnings 85 cents a share both surpassed analyst estimates.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
The MacArthur “genius grant” winner sparkled with sartorial edge as he strutted across the stage in a white tuxedo shirt to discuss his book “Emperor of Gladness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Bright colored lights sparkled from the trees, while storefronts competed with one another to be the most festive with their decorations.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
It also features sparkling cameos from Penélope Cruz as a sultry cabaret dancer and Glenn Close as a Spanish-speaking American professor.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
He says he believes his prowess at the table did more to boost his internship application than his sparkling GPA at Ohio State, where he is studying computer science and statistics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“From its elevated vantage point, the Pacific becomes an ever-changing backdrop, glowing at sunrise, sparkling throughout the day, and transforming beneath spectacular sunsets,” the description continues.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Anybody who wants to walk into a construction site that's nice and clean and sparkling, it's our honour to have you do so," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
He had moved on to a different story, eyes sparkling, hands sideways to show how big the fish had been.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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