glean
to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.
to gather small amounts of (grain or the like) left behind after a harvest, nowadays often for charitable use.
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.
to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.
to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly.
to gather what is left by reapers.
Origin of glean
1Other words for glean
Other words from glean
- glean·a·ble, adjective
- glean·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use glean in a sentence
Another resource of economy yet remains, for he gleans the field very closely,—1800l.
In the woods he gleans much nearer the ground, but I have never seen him upon the ground searching among the fallen leaves.
Gleans intelligence of the Wasongo to the eastward, and their chief, Meréré.
He gleans his food merrily, singing or calling softly to himself as he works.
As it gleans among the tree-tops, the simple, pleasing and musical notes of the male may be heard at somewhat regular intervals.
Nests and Eggs of Birds of The United States | Thomas G. Gentry
British Dictionary definitions for glean
/ (ɡliːn) /
to gather (something) slowly and carefully in small pieces: to glean information from the newspapers
to gather (the useful remnants of a crop) from the field after harvesting
Origin of glean
1Derived forms of glean
- gleanable, adjective
- gleaner, noun
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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