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:
Criterion’s presentation not only makes the black-and-white photography shimmer but makes a case for the film’s unlikely influence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
“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
But leads Miriam Margolyes and Alistair Nwachukwu practically shimmer with humor and warmth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
I wondered what made the air in front of the fire shimmer so.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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
We’d chat while waiting at the little Middle Eastern bakery that turns out the neighborhood’s best Barbari bread — long, sesame-and–black-caraway–speckled loaves that come out of the oven so hot the air around them shimmers.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025
A highlight from his latest session, “El Curioso” shimmers with the bouncy vibe of cumbia norteña, anchored to León’s killer melodic instincts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
Only a few sparkling shimmers remain, echoes of the crystals in her gown.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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
In a tradition within the tradition, seniors were draped in white and silver arrangements that shimmered and glowed.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
The older spirit shimmered like heat on the road in summer.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Libyan designer Rabia Ben Barka, whose models showed off similarly shimmering dresses, told AFP she found Abuja -- on her first trip to Nigeria -- "so clean" and organised.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Seated on a throne-like chair, with his family in his shadow, Ludovico is receiving a message while courtiers of diminishing importance trail off to the right behind a shimmering gold curtain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
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
Reader, you and I might not have noticed that patch of gently shimmering water.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
