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

For all the concentration on reliability, teams were of course trying to glean any snippets they could about relative pace.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

A better way to glean underlying demand for manufactured goods is to strip out airplanes and cars.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

Thursday’s November report didn’t break down month-over-month changes for October and November for most items, making it difficult to glean insights into the economy’s recent performance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Nevertheless, our compulsion to glean some broader significance from Carol’s story cannot help but wander into that territory.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025

And then maybe he would glean himself as his first and only act.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

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