gleam
Americannoun
-
gleams
plural
-
a flash or beam of light.
the gleam of a lantern in the dark.
-
a dim or subdued light.
-
a brief or slight manifestation or occurrence; trace.
a gleam of hope.
verb (used without object)
-
gleams,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gleamed,
past participle, past
-
gleaming
present participle
noun
-
a small beam or glow of light, esp reflected light
-
a brief or dim indication
a gleam of hope
verb
-
to send forth or reflect a beam of light
-
to appear, esp briefly
intelligence gleamed in his eyes
Usage
What does gleam mean?
A gleam is a flash or flicker of light, as in As Val scrolled through their phone in the dark, the screen projected a gleam of light on their face.
A gleam is also a dim light, such as you might get from a flashlight with a dying battery.
To gleam means to send out a gleam, as in The candle gleamed in the darkness.
To gleam also means to appear quickly and clearly, as a flash of light would.
Example: I love the way this dress gleams in the sun.
Synonym Usage
Gleam, glimmer, beam, ray are terms for a stream of light. Gleam denotes a not very brilliant, intermittent or nondirectional stream of light. Glimmer indicates a nondirectional light that is feeble and unsteady: a faint glimmer of moonlight. Beam usually means a directional, and therefore smaller, stream: the beam from a searchlight. Ray usually implies a still smaller amount of light than a beam, a single line of light: a ray through a pinprick in a window shade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
outgleamverb (used with object)
-
gleamingadjective
-
gleamlessadjective
-
gleamyadjective
-
gleaminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gleamsimple
-
gleamssimple
-
have gleamedperfect
-
has gleamedperfect
-
am gleamingprogressive
-
are gleamingprogressive
-
is gleamingprogressive
-
have been gleamingperfect progressive
-
has been gleamingperfect progressive
Past
-
gleamedsimple
-
had gleamedperfect
-
was gleamingprogressive
-
were gleamingprogressive
-
had been gleamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gleam
First recorded before 1000; (noun) Middle English glem(e), Old English glǣm; cognate with Old High German gleimo “glowworm”; akin to Old Saxon glīmo “brightness”; (verb) Middle English, derivative of the noun. See glimmer, glimpse
Explanation
A gleam is a bright flash of light. If you were lost on a dark, stormy night, you'd be hugely relieved to see the gleam of a roadside diner's sign up ahead. Use the verb gleam when something is shining as if it were wet or glinting with light. Your new toothpaste might make your teeth so white that they gleam. You can also describe an emotion that appears briefly as a gleam, like a gleam of hope. And as you hatch a plan to toilet-paper the neighbor's yard, mischief might gleam in your eyes.
Vocabulary lists containing gleam
List 9
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 1: Telling Details
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
At that point, he was told, riders would always look left, just for a second, at the towers and the gleam of downtown Manhattan in the sunlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Since then, every major chapter of Trump’s story has been suffused with the gleam of his favorite metal.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
There's almost no kissing, and the disco is a million miles from the hedonistic gleam of Studio 54.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Dollops of candied citrus gleam like jewels, Turbinado sugar crowns the loaf with a satisfyingly crackly crust, and the coffee whispers beneath it all, cutting through sweetness and coaxing out the pumpkin’s earthy depth.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Here the doves soared up to a tree through whose foliage came a bright yellow gleam.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
A silver court gown like the one Marie Antoinette wore at her wedding gleams in the central case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Cassandra Peterson understands the power of a movie night — or more specifically, the kind of movie night that wobbles between horror and hilarity, where the fake blood maybe gleams brighter than the budget.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2025
Most intriguing is a hand-size squid that gleams ruby red.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 13, 2024
More than anyone in his era of new-age fighters, Haney gleams in the spoils of war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
You cannot explain the behavior of matter—why gold gleams; why hydrogen combusts with oxygen—without invoking the atomic nature of matter.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Skies gleamed pink, green and yellow as the aurora borealis illuminated parts of northern England.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2023
"Is that…" her eyes gleamed, jaw dropping to the floor, as she placed both of her tiny hands over her heart.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023
From another archive shelf, a bottle for a different perfume gleamed with allure.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
A strand of tinsel gleamed from a bare tree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
The white light from the screen gleamed on James’s face, his lips parted in a faint frown.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Next, an interior shot, sweeping across a gleaming white room occupied by sleek screens and glass-domed beds, space-age Sleeping Beauty contraptions.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Brooches that refer to various Chanel collections are assembled out of Legos, bits of Star Wars action figures, and other bric-a-brac, gleaming in jewelry cases and elevating these childish materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The future of China's workers is uncertain in the industrial revolution the world has been watching: gleaming solar grids, peak hours made noiseless by electric vehicles, machines that run faster than Usain Bolt.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
"Zhang Xue has brought glory to China, so I want to support him," said Hu Zhaomeng, picking up his gleaming red 500 model from a Chongqing dealership.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
It was September when they sailed smartly into Boston Harbor, every man an old salt, the Astrea stripped of her chafing gear and gleaming with fresh paint and varnish.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
