shimmer
Americanverb (used without object)
-
shimmers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shimmered,
past participle, past
-
shimmering
present participle
-
to shine with or reflect a subdued, tremulous light; gleam faintly.
- Synonyms:
- glimmer
-
to appear to quiver or vibrate in faint light or while reflecting heat waves.
noun
-
a subdued, tremulous light or gleam.
-
a quivering or vibrating motion or image as produced by reflecting faint light or heat waves.
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See glisten.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shimmersimple
-
shimmerssimple
-
have shimmeredperfect
-
has shimmeredperfect
-
am shimmeringprogressive
-
are shimmeringprogressive
-
is shimmeringprogressive
-
have been shimmeringperfect progressive
-
has been shimmeringperfect progressive
Past
-
shimmeredsimple
-
had shimmeredperfect
-
was shimmeringprogressive
-
were shimmeringprogressive
-
had been shimmeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shimmer
First recorded before 1100; Middle English schimeren, s(c)hemeren, Old English scimrian; cognate with Dutch schemeren, German schimmern “to glisten”
Explanation
When you shimmer you shine, although sometimes quite weakly. A shimmer is small and sometimes weak, and in danger of going out, but it's there all the same and often beautiful. You know how silk catches the light and shines in lovely ways? That's a shimmer. How about when you feel like it's the end of the world but there's a little piece of you that believes things are going to get better? That's a shimmer of hope. Or when you open a door to a dark room and the light from the hall falls into the darkness? That's a shimmer of light.
Vocabulary lists containing shimmer
Poetry Cafe
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
“Solstice,” where he shares writing credits with Patti Smith, possesses the same kind of metaphysical shimmer that’s often intrinsic to a Patti Smith composition.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Nearby, racks of sequined jackets shimmer with slogans like "Make Heaven Crowded," worn by supporters well into their seventies who, for a few days at least, dress more like pop fans than retirees.
From Barron's ● Mar. 28, 2026
In the second cast, Christine Shevchenko fell far short of Ms. Teuscher’s finesse, but she essayed the opening “Preghiera” movement with more of its requisite lilt and shimmer than Ms. Teuscher did.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
She recommends using night mode on a mobile phone to take a photo of the shimmer as it will automatically adjust to the low light and amplify what is there.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
They blasted into the lights of the city, the harbor torches sending their luminous shimmer across the dark waters.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
He could have made something that shimmers, a piece of true pop that expresses repellent ideals.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Yet the result was a unique, multi-faceted sculptural adornment to Central Park that still shimmers compellingly in the dappled light of springtime, while convincingly elevating architecture to the status of fine art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
A veritable feast for the ears that shimmers with sound — a stray guitar flourish here, a pulsing synthesizer there.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
Her prose is so finely wrought it shimmers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
Above us, on the ceiling of this great big cavern, are thousands and thousands of blue-green shimmers that I recognize instantly from my fifth-grade world geography class.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Wunmi Mosaku, up for best supporting actress for Sinners, opted for a striking blue dress, which shimmered on the red carpet.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
But it also shimmered with optimism and adventure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
It was 96 degrees on a recent weekday afternoon, and the parking lot of a McDonald’s on Vine Street in Hollywood shimmered with heat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
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
She stared at a wall of water that shimmered and lapped at the air before her.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
I wrote years ago that the project boasted “a sort of shimmering authenticity” — if one didn’t look too closely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
From a gas crater dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" to the shimmering marble buildings of its capital, Turkmenistan is tentatively opening up to tourists after decades of isolation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Sea silk became famous for its shimmering golden color, light weight, and exceptional durability.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
The Golden Goose is shimmering right now in terms of value.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
He continues until my hand is covered in a pile of warm, shimmering flecks.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
