glean

American  

[gleen] / glin /

verb (used with object)

1. to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.

2. to gather small amounts of (grain or the like) left behind after a harvest, nowadays often for charitable use.

3. to clear (a field, orchard, etc.) of leftover produce in this way.

   Millet’s painting The Gleaners depicts three peasant women stooping low as they glean a field of wheat.

4. to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.

   Synonyms:

   infer, extract, derive, deduce, reap, gather

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verb (used without object)

1. to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly.

2. to gather what is left by reapers.

glean British  

/ ɡliːn /

verb

1. to gather (something) slowly and carefully in small pieces

   to glean information from the newspapers

2. to gather (the useful remnants of a crop) from the field after harvesting

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Other Word Forms

• gleanable adjective
• gleaner noun

Etymology

Origin of glean

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English glenen, from Old French glener, from Late Latin glennāre, ultimately from Celtic

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the North Korean leader could potentially glean much from how U.S. forces are performing on the battlefield, security analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

That has also made it harder for the Fed to glean inflation trends.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 12, 2026

"This felt more like an opportunity for the fans to come and see the players as opposed to anything they are really going to glean from a tactical point of view."

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

Retailers can’t easily connect their loyalty programs to third-party AI search platforms, and data insights remain hard to glean, brands and others say.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

She would sooner glean herself as her first act as a scythe than accept his sacrifice.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• cull
• deduce
• extract
• garner
• gather
• learn
• reap
• sift