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:
“It was all appropriated guitar bodies which Lucien had then turned into wall sculpture by either painting or adorning them with bottle caps, glitter, tin foil, etc,” Powers wrote in Office Magazine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 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
Shirts by Niamh, a business providing custom designs, has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and charges up to £35 for shirts with glitter, gems, spray paint and feathers.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
"There's a big leap, massively, between running for office and campaigning, and all the glitter that comes with it, and then getting your hands dirty for the long haul," he adds.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
The fury in his eyes is familiar, the glitter of them like banked fire, like coals burning hotter than flames ever could.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
There is also an increasingly heretical chorus of analysts who don’t believe all that glitters is bitcoin.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 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
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
The table is set for thousands, and enormous ballroom-lanterns flash so much light overhead that everything glitters.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
It enticingly glittered as much as a four-harped orchestra.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
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
In the center of the glade, on the grass some distance from them, was an ornate golden crown, which glittered in the afternoon sunlight.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Manchester City being found guilty of fuelling an era of glittering Premier League success via a network of sponsorship deals, found by an independent commision to be a "sham", has shaken the world of sport.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 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
The flashy and perhaps overwhelmingly bright Chromeo took the Stardust Stage just before 9 p.m., with David Macklovitch donning a T-shirt with a very low neck and a glittering blazer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 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
Headmarveller Rivera descended the staircase slowly, her glittering cane helping her with each step.
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.
