gleam

[ gleem ]

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.

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 for gleam

3	hint, suggestion, scintilla
4	shine, glimmer, flash, glint, glitter, sparkle, beam

See synonyms for gleam on Thesaurus.com

Other words from gleam

gleam·less, adjective
out·gleam, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gleam in a sentence

How his face gleamed in the darkness, drawing swiftly nearer!
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They were identical save for the bronze nameplates that gleamed darkly in the hushed dimness.
A Mother’s Brave Eulogy For Her Three Girls Killed in Connecticut Fire | Michael Daly | January 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Her eyes gleamed bright and intense, with no sleepy shadows, as they looked into his.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
When the first sunbeam gleamed through the window of Bat's tiny kitchen, I arose, pulled on my boots and went to feed my horse.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Light gleamed on the staircase, and breathless voices were wafted up to the two men.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini

He looked back before he plunged out into the darkness, and his teeth gleamed in a smile.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
The gray desert sparkled and gleamed in front of the roadster, but behind it was blotted out by the dust of that mad flight.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for gleam

gleam

/ (ɡliːm) /

noun

a small beam or glow of light, esp reflected light
a brief or dim indication: a gleam of hope

verb(intr)

to send forth or reflect a beam of light
to appear, esp briefly: intelligence gleamed in his eyes

Origin of gleam

Old English glǣm; related to Old Norse gljā to flicker, Old High German gleimo glow-worm, glīmo brightness, Old Irish glē bright

Derived forms of gleam

gleaming, adjective
gleamy, adjective
gleamingly, adverb

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

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