glow
Americannoun
-
glows
plural
-
a light emitted by or as if by a substance heated to luminosity; incandescence.
-
brightness of color.
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a sensation or state of bodily heat.
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a warm, ruddy color of the cheeks.
-
warmth of emotion or passion; ardor.
verb (used without object)
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glows,
present (3rd person singular)
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glowed,
past participle, past
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glowing
present participle
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to emit bright light and heat without flame; become incandescent.
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to shine like something intensely heated.
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to exhibit a strong, bright color; be lustrously red or brilliant.
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(of the cheeks) to exhibit a healthy, warm, ruddy color.
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to become or feel very warm or hot.
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to show emotion or elation.
to glow with pride.
noun
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light emitted by a substance or object at a high temperature
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a steady even light without flames
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brilliance or vividness of colour
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brightness or ruddiness of complexion
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a feeling of wellbeing or satisfaction
-
intensity of emotion; ardour
verb
-
to emit a steady even light without flames
-
to shine intensely, as if from great heat
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to be exuberant or high-spirited, as from excellent health or intense emotion
-
to experience a feeling of wellbeing or satisfaction
to glow with pride
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(esp of the complexion) to show a strong bright colour, esp a shade of red
-
to be very hot
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glowsimple
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glowssimple
-
have glowedperfect
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has glowedperfect
-
am glowingprogressive
-
are glowingprogressive
-
is glowingprogressive
-
have been glowingperfect progressive
-
has been glowingperfect progressive
Past
-
glowedsimple
-
had glowedperfect
-
was glowingprogressive
-
were glowingprogressive
-
had been glowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glow
First recorded before 1000; Middle English glowen (verb), Old English glōwan; akin to German glühen, Old Norse glōa
Explanation
To glow is to shine with light. On a clear night when the moon is full, it glows in the sky. A nightlight glows in a dark room, and a distant flashlight beam glows like a candle. Other things that glow include fireflies, TV screens, and city lights when seen from an airplane at night. A person's face can also be said to glow, when it's shining and flushed with health or happiness. The radiance of light or pleasure itself can also be called a glow, from the Old English glowan, "to shine as if red-hot."
Vocabulary lists containing glow
All Aglow: Light Lingo
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 5
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for March 6–12, 2021
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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:
This suggests that the faint glow of stars between galaxies could potentially serve as a visible indicator of where invisible dark matter is concentrated.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Either result will paint a fuller picture, widening the spotlight little by little, until everything begins to glow.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
His wife knows it as his “faraway look,” the distant glow in his eyes when he’s plotting his next shrink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Paddy fields glow against red earth and low, forested hills.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
There we joined the occupants of other barracks—some 35,000 at that time—stretching out of sight in the pale glow of the street lamps, feet growing numb on the cold cinder ground.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Launched in the clubbing capital of Ibiza, it's targeted toward clubbers and festival-goers, and one of its ingredients, vitamin B2, is naturally luminescent and glows under UV club lights.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Earth's atmosphere naturally glows in these wavelengths, making it much harder for ground based telescopes to detect such faint objects.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Her skin glows, her eyes sparkle and her hair shines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
On my final morning Puistokahvila Makia glows gold against a blue commute.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
The brightest thing in the house is the steel door under the staircase, where a reddish light glows from beneath it.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
September's full Moon glowed across the UK sky on Saturday and many people seemed to have perfect conditions for viewing it.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Through the cockpit, the city glowed on the horizon, a strip of twinkling lights severing the night sky from the dark Potomac river.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Like the store’s sign, the sky glowed Big Orange, hex code #F96302, or Pantone 165 C, available in the paint department inside.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2026
The dining room glowed like a film set, its gently arched brick and brass softening Barcelona’s usual edge.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2025
Right on schedule, the sky above the horizon flashed white, then glowed green, pink, and red.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
“From its elevated vantage point, the Pacific becomes an ever-changing backdrop, glowing at sunrise, sparkling throughout the day, and transforming beneath spectacular sunsets,” the description continues.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Halloween here is a wonderland, and Descanso continues to lean heavily into the fantastical, this year adding glowing wire sculptures from Helsinki-based artist Alexander Reichstein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
That pattern indicates that the gas is not glowing equally in every direction.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
The Orionids are particularly fast, entering the atmosphere at around 41 miles per second and can leave glowing trails which remain visible for several seconds.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
As I study the sword, glowing white inscriptions appear on the obsidian blade.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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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.
