Definition of glean
intransitive verb
1 : to gather grain or other produce left by reapers
2 : to gather information or material bit by bit
transitive verb
1a : to pick up after a reaperb : to strip of the leavings of reapers glean a field
2a : to gather (something, such as information) bit by bit can glean secrets from his hard driveb : to pick over in search of relevant material gleaning old files for information
3 : find out The police used old-fashioned detective work to glean his whereabouts.
gleaner
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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Examples of glean in a sentence
She gleaned her data from various studies.
He has a collection of antique tools gleaned from flea markets and garage sales.
They spent days gleaning the files for information.
They spent hours gleaning in the wheat fields.
gleaning stray ears of corn
Did You Know?
Glean comes from Middle English glenen, which traces to Anglo-French glener, meaning "to glean." The French borrowed their word from Late Latin glennare, which also means "to glean" and is itself of Celtic origin. Both the grain-gathering sense and the collecting-bit-by-bit senses of our glean date back at least to the 14th century. Over the years, and especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, glean has also come to be used frequently with the meaning "to find out, learn, ascertain." This sense has been criticized by folks who think glean should always imply the drudgery involved in the literal grain-gathering sense, but it is well established and perfectly valid.
Origin and Etymology of glean
Middle English glenen, from Anglo-French glener, from Late Latin glennare, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish doglenn he selects
First Known Use: 14th century
GLEAN Defined for English Language Learners
glean
playDefinition of glean for English Language Learners
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: to gather or collect (something) in a gradual way
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: to search (something) carefully
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: to gather grain or other material that is left after the main crop has been gathered
GLEAN Defined for Kids
glean
playDefinition of glean for Students
gleaned
;gleaning
1 : to gather from a field what is left by the harvesters
2 : to gather (as information) little by little with patient effort
Learn More about glean
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Spanish Central: Translation of glean Nglish: Translation of glean for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glean for Arabic speakers
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