glisten
Americanverb (used without object)
-
glistens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glistened,
past participle, past
-
glistening
present participle
noun
verb
-
(of a wet or glossy surface) to gleam by reflecting light
wet leaves glisten in the sunlight
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(of light) to reflect with brightness
the sunlight glistens on wet leaves
noun
Synonym Usage
Glisten, shimmer, sparkle refer to different ways in which light is reflected from surfaces. Glisten refers to a lustrous light, as from something sleek or wet, or it may refer to myriads of tiny gleams reflected from small surfaces: Wet fur glistens. Snow glistens in the sunlight. Shimmer refers to the changing play of light on a (generally moving) surface, as of water or silk: Moonbeams shimmer on water. Silk shimmers in a high light. To sparkle is to give off sparks or small ignited particles, or to send forth small but brilliant gleams, sometimes by reflection: A diamond sparkles with numerous points of light.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
glistensimple
-
glistenssimple
-
have glistenedperfect
-
has glistenedperfect
-
am glisteningprogressive
-
are glisteningprogressive
-
is glisteningprogressive
-
have been glisteningperfect progressive
-
has been glisteningperfect progressive
Past
-
glistenedsimple
-
had glistenedperfect
-
was glisteningprogressive
-
were glisteningprogressive
-
had been glisteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glisten
First recorded before 1000; Middle English glis(t)nen (verb), Old English glisnian, derivative of glisian “to glitter; ” see -en 1
Explanation
Glisten is a verb meaning that something looks shiny, like it's wet. Rocks on the beach glisten in the sun. And your sister’s prom dress, covered in sequins, no doubt will glisten under the disco ball. The word glisten can also be used metaphorically. After you tossed and turned throughout the night, in the morning, you could see the perfect solution glisten right in front of you. As a noun, a glisten is a bright shine. When you are driving into the setting sun, the glisten of the sun on the hood of the car makes it hard to see.
Vocabulary lists containing glisten
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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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:
Silver pearls glisten on the men’s foreheads and their eyes are sunken deep in their pale faces, framed in a stubble of beard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
I ask her what memories of your father she has and her eyes glisten.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
This is where the dip starts to glisten.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025
At fish counters across Long Island, imported salmon fillets glisten in greater profusion than local mackerel and black sea bass.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
His wet eyes glisten in the soft afternoon light.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
“A quick spray glistens the whole body but I do extra for my arms,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"In the sunlight, the horse glistens" thanks to its "fine, hollow-core hair, which reflects light differently."
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
There, in the front window, glistens a massive Maria Theresa-style chandelier that once shimmered in the hotel’s ballroom, its many crystals winking at you in the refracted light.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
Perched on a hilltop overlooking the ocean, the house literally glistens against the rising sun, with a blanket of frothy, amber-hued fog wafting below.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
A “diamond” earring glistens in one of his ears, and his snapback matches his sneakers.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Sweat glistened on his head and pooled on his undershirt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2024
Before that, I had a mermaid-inspired gel nail set that glistened like when the sun beats on tropical waters.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2024
Recalling those days, her eyes glistened as she spoke about the way Churchill inspired the nation.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
As the boat pulled out of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, schools of juvenile menhaden, or peanut bunker, glistened at the edges of the inlet, as though to highlight her point.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2024
The brown earth turned dark and the trees glistened.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
The meat was so glistening that it caught the light of the disco ball.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Because I’m very happy with the mural,” she said, eyes glistening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
From his office overlooking the glistening waterway, the third generation fish merchant gestures to the horizon.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
It was everywhere online: a glistening democracy of vegetables and protein, dutifully spaced on parchment, slid into a hot oven, retrieved as a complete life solution.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2026
Taran flung himself against an oak to escape the flying hoofs and the heaving, glistening flanks.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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