glitter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
glitters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glittered,
past participle, past
-
glittering
present participle
-
to reflect light with a brilliant, sparkling luster; sparkle with reflected light.
-
to make a brilliant show.
noun
-
glitters
plural
-
a sparkling reflected light or luster.
- Synonyms:
- sparkle
-
showy splendor.
-
small glittering ornaments.
verb
-
(of a hard, wet, or polished surface) to reflect light in bright flashes
-
(of light) to be reflected in bright flashes
-
(usually foll by with) to be decorated or enhanced by the glamour (of)
the show glitters with famous actors
noun
-
sparkle or brilliance
-
show and glamour
-
tiny pieces of shiny decorative material used for ornamentation, as on the skin
-
Also called: silver thaw. ice formed from freezing rain
Synonym Usage
See flash.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
glittersimple
-
glitterssimple
-
have glitteredperfect
-
has glitteredperfect
-
am glitteringprogressive
-
are glitteringprogressive
-
is glitteringprogressive
-
have been glitteringperfect progressive
-
has been glitteringperfect progressive
Past
-
glitteredsimple
-
had glitteredperfect
-
was glitteringprogressive
-
were glitteringprogressive
-
had been glitteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glitter
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse glitra; compare Old English glitenian, German gleissen “to shine, glitter”
Explanation
A glitter is a sparkle or flash of light. To glitter is to gleam or shine, as if glistening with moisture. Glitter isn’t just shiny stuff you use in craft projects. When used as a noun, glitter can refer to any kind of gleam, glint, spark, or flash of light, like the flicker of a firefly at night. This word can also be used as a verb. An ornate golden goblet glitters brightly — as does anything coated in a thick layer of glitter.
Vocabulary lists containing glitter
"The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet"
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Towers Falling
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Jess and Layla's Astronomical Assignment
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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:
But like the iridescent glitter in her campaign-matched chrome polish, the meaning shifts with the viewer’s perspective.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Tashma, owner of glitter and body art stand Litty Glitty, said that festival adornment was "not just putting on glitter".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Tiny bits of glitter are embedded in our tiles, a bright reminder of Scott and the beauty and joy he brought to even the most mundane tasks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The shimmering jewelry displayed in later galleries supplies, well, more glitter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The little loudmouth flipped out of the Story Box, light trailing off her like streams of glitter.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
There is also an increasingly heretical chorus of analysts who don’t believe all that glitters is bitcoin.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Actress Helen Mirren glitters front and centre of the Times, after the 81-year-old "dazzling dame" attended the London premiere of the new series of MobLand.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
This delightful production, directed with a sprightly touch by Robert Falls, who led the Goodman for 35 years, glitters with the incisive wit that was a hallmark of Mr. Greenberg’s writing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
All that glitters isn’t gold, but it’s easy to see why investors will continue to take a shine to it—and other metals—even after their historic run.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
There ain’t much light to see by, but the rich side of town glitters like a jewel in dung.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
They glittered in gold platform heels, black and tan powersuits, and fur-lined wool dresses for the winter chill lingering in Washington.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026
They also didn’t reinvest farm income or Exxon’s dividends, and they picked another specific date when gold had glittered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
They were all glittered up before that, then I walk in with my flip-flops and tank tops.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025
But all that glittered was not gold, as a new podcast series reveals, and questions remain about the mysterious death of the company's chief geologist.
From BBC ● May 18, 2024
All around us the desiccated corpses of the butterflies glittered and shone.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
The space galleries capture more of the shuttle exhibit’s sense of otherworldly drama: dark, amorphous, windowless spaces with graphics of glittering stars and planets on the walls and spotlights lending pop to each surreal artifact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Louis and Louise Cahen d’Anvers were Jews who had settled in Paris in the mid-19th century and become part of the cosmopolitan financial aristocracy during the glittering decades of the Belle Epoque.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
MALLORCA, Spain—This Mediterranean island is a tourist paradise, with glittering turquoise seas, hidden coves and endless white-sand beaches that have been luring Europeans for generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
“So I really am a California girl, I grew up just adjacent to the glittering lights of Hollywood, but close enough to know that there was a real business there,” Howe said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The particles floated in the air before her, glittering and twirling as though dancing to a song of their own.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
