Dictionary.com

gleam

[ gleem ]
/ glim /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: gleam / gleamed / gleaming on Thesaurus.com
noun
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)
to send forth a gleam or gleams.
to appear suddenly and clearly like a flash of light.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
navy
beryl
azure
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Meet Grammar CoachWrite or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

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

synonym study for gleam

1. 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 WORDS FROM gleam

gleam·less, adjectiveout·gleam, verb (used with object)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to gleam

flicker, glimmer, glint, glow, sheen, twinkle, glisten, glitter, radiate, shimmer, shine, beam, brilliance, coruscation, flash, glance, glitz, gloss, luster, ray

How to use gleam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gleam

gleam
/ (ɡliːm) /
noun
a small beam or glow of light, esp reflected light
a brief or dim indicationa gleam of hope
verb (intr)
to send forth or reflect a beam of light
to appear, esp brieflyintelligence gleamed in his eyes

Derived forms of gleam

gleaming, adjectivegleamy, adjectivegleamingly, adverb

Word Origin for gleam

Old English glǣm; related to Old Norse gljā to flicker, Old High German gleimo glow-worm, glīmo brightness, Old Irish glē bright
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK