glint
Americannoun
-
glints
plural
verb (used without object)
-
glints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glinted,
past participle, past
-
glinting
present participle
-
to shine with a glint.
-
to move suddenly; dart.
verb (used with object)
-
glints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glinted,
past participle, past
-
glinting
present participle
verb
noun
-
a bright gleam or flash
-
brightness or gloss
-
a brief indication
Synonym Usage
See flash.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
glintsimple
-
glintssimple
-
have glintedperfect
-
has glintedperfect
-
am glintingprogressive
-
are glintingprogressive
-
is glintingprogressive
-
have been glintingperfect progressive
-
has been glintingperfect progressive
Past
-
glintedsimple
-
had glintedperfect
-
was glintingprogressive
-
were glintingprogressive
-
had been glintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glint
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English glint, variant of obsolete glent; compare Danish glente, Swedish dialect glänta “to glimpse, brighten”
Explanation
A glint is a brief flash or flicker of light. You might enjoy gazing at the glint of light on the water as you lie on the beach in the summer time. You can use the word glint as a noun or a verb: your brother's braces might glint in the afternoon sun, and freshly fallen snow sometimes glints under streetlamps at night. Glint is a Scottish word, first coined in the late 1700s, that comes from the Middle English glenten, "gleam, flash, or glisten." Its ultimate root is Scandinavian, possibly from the same root as the word glass.
Vocabulary lists containing glint
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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Prisoner B-3087
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A Long Way from Chicago
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"There was a glint of fear. They were dour. This was something more than someone being ill. It was something that affected them."
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
His poems can seem like black crystals; hold them to the light and they glint with ash, Scripture, lovers’ voices and breath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
If it doesn’t glint in the light, I’m not interested.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2026
Netflix’s purchase of WBD would result in a “big market share” he says with a glint in his eye.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
Count Olaf turned to Mr. Poe with a glint in his eye like an angry dog.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
When his camera isn’t woozily circling like a merry-go-round, his edginess glints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
As she walked, she examined the crowds and remarked when glints of interest caught her eye.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
Across our own solar system, scientists can detect the presence of liquid oceans by observing "glints" -- flashes of sunlight that reflect off liquid surfaces.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 28, 2023
Cables snake everywhere, insulation glints in the sunlight, ceiling panels have yet to be fitted and protective coverings mask the floors - but the hard work is done.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2023
There were glints of silver in the splashed white of the chest, some metal her mother had embedded in the paint.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Dressed in a layered outfit, Multani’s right wrist glinted with a Kara — an iron bracelet, known as one of five articles of Sikh faith — decorated with Punjabi language script and proudly visible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
As the Parisian runway glinted under the weight of expectation, Sarah Burton, with a profound respect for legacy and an unmistakable innovative touch, presented her magnum opus for Alexander McQueen Saturday night.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
This will be the third time in 12 months that the trumpets have sounded, the uniforms glinted and the carriages rumbled through London's streets and across TV, radio and online.
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
Back at the tea room, Chao lifted her teacup to her lips as light glinted off the silver rings that circled her fingers.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
At the mouth of the inlet, the massive shape of the turtle’s shell glinted like a burnished coin.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The small canvas shows a young woman set on a dark background, her head turned towards the viewer and a pearl earring glinting from beneath her blue and cream turban.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
"It's like many, many thousands of rotating, glinting ruffled potato chips, basically," as Venkatesan put it.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2025
New John Deere tractors made their way last week through the sprawling port of Brunswick, Ga., their distinctive green paint glinting in the sunshine.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
"It will continue," said the mayor, turning his head back towards the beach, the flat expanse of water, and the White Cliffs of Dover glinting, beguilingly, in the distance.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2024
He told of fishermen on a river and the sun glinting off the backs of silver fish as they wriggled in the net.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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