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:
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
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
Tomatoes are optional, but when included, they give the richness a little lift, a shimmer of acidity against the warm, cheesy backdrop.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
But once the shimmer of being the “new hot shiny thing” dulled and she settled into her life as a musician, she realized she was being held to a different standard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
At the top of the cliff a thin mist came from Patrick’s Well; beyond that the sea was a shimmer of silver.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
A veritable feast for the ears that shimmers with sound — a stray guitar flourish here, a pulsing synthesizer there.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 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
Nearby, Yang Bao’s “Hyperspace,” a gold, mirrored pyramid accompanied by gleaming shards, nestled in a former lavender field, shimmers amid thyme, gingko, California poppies and native grasses, accompanied by haunting, and constantly mutating, music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
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
She has round pink glasses, a ponytail of gray braids, and a skirt that shimmers when she walks.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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
He often added tiny beads that shimmered like distant stars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 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 one on the left wore shining golden armor that shimmered with heat.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The shimmering jewelry displayed in later galleries supplies, well, more glitter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 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
For centuries, a shimmering golden fabric known as sea silk was one of the world's most exclusive luxury materials, reserved for emperors, popes, and other powerful figures.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
The Golden Goose is shimmering right now in terms of value.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Specks of shimmering dust could still be found in some cracks and crevices, but the rest had been removed.
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.
