shimmer
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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:
At night, the lights that illuminate the bridge shimmer like mini moons in the waters below.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 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
But leads Miriam Margolyes and Alistair Nwachukwu practically shimmer with humor and warmth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
It was a blue shimmer that surrounded her.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and written by his frequent collaborator Samson Raphaelson, this Paramount picture, running a pert 82 minutes, positively shimmers with wit and sizzles with innuendo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
They were useful in the first days of the regime, while power was still being consolidated and shimmers of diversity were helpful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 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
On a first hearing, I did not find “11,000 Strings” particularly linear but rather like a loosely structured meditation that arrives, shimmers and departs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
The beads around her neck are small and expensive, glass coated with real gold paint, and her blouse shimmers with flowers of finely stitched gold and pink thread.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
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
More than half a century ago, he said, a spring-fed pool shimmered in this spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2025
Dresses, tops, trousers and headpieces shimmered with sequins.
From Reuters ● Sep. 2, 2023
She stared at a wall of water that shimmered and lapped at the air before her.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The strange thing is that the pitch seems to have that same shimmering quality I remember from watching the TV all those years ago.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 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
Its 600-work trove including Gustav Klimt’s shimmering woman in gold from 1907, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” will remain largely in place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
A shimmering crystal gets its colorful appearance from the precise arrangement of its atoms in space.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
"How much did the young tail-wagger see?"asks a squirrel in a shimmering silver space suit.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
