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:
They have glitter on the ceiling, which sets the tone immediately, and a lot of big-name DJs who will do secret sets there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
I still find glitter ground into our kitchen tiles from the Halloween when he made his daughter a purple witch costume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
To stand out, he suggests using glitter in hair partings or your shoulders.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The shimmering jewelry displayed in later galleries supplies, well, more glitter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
It looked like glitter scraped from the underside of clouds by the scrubby top branches of the pines.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Dahl’s wit may be mostly used for emotional vivisection, but it still glitters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 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
The glass panels gleam in the sun, like an outsize version of the prismatic bluish-purple gem that glitters in the light.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2024
Maybe all that glitters is not gold after all?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
The moss under my scuffed boots glitters with dew, and there is a threadbare carpet of golden leaves beneath the sycamore tree.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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
A line of cars glittered in the sun as they crawled just inches above the ground, gliding past a “NO CRUISING” sign at a popular park near downtown Los Angeles earlier this month.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
He always wore a least one fancy earring, and it glittered and spun at his jaw when he abruptly halted or changed direction in his walking.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Although they did retain the League Cup, finishing third was unusual in Bronze's glittering career – not that this has over-influenced her decision.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
“Her Private Hell” is not merely glittering debris, as some have posited, nor is it style over substance; it’s a campfire story told by Thatcher’s unearthly orator, with just as much chilling impact.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
But first, there was “Revolver” — a glittering array of musical chestnuts that we’re only just beginning to appreciate.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
The glittering star of the gala was former New York Gov. Al Smith, who had thrown in his lot with the plutocrats after a distinguished career as an icon of progressive Democratic politics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
An outline of the boot-shaped state pulsed on the thick paper, its sprawling cities and sleepy towns and rural outposts gleaming and glittering.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
