glean

verb

ˈglēn 

gleaned; gleaning; gleans

intransitive verb

1

: to gather grain or other produce left by reapers

2

: to gather information or material bit by bit

transitive verb

1

a

: to pick up after a reaper

b

: to strip of the leavings of reapers

glean a field

2

a

: to gather (something, such as information) bit by bit

can glean secrets from his hard drive

b

: 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.

gleanable

ˈglē-nə-bəl 

adjective

gleaner noun

Did you know?

The Grainy History of Glean

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 English's 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.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

If everything’s the same and everything is talking together in a predictable way, there’s not much to glean. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024

The drama builds as much by the choices the characters make as by the wisdom that’s gleaned from their collective unburdening. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Then, last month, the Israeli army made a devastating announcement based on battlefield intelligence gleaned during their ground operation in Gaza: The two men had been killed on Oct. 7, their bodies dragged into Gaza. —Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

Retailers could glean valuable insights from tracking how a shopper scans shelves and selects items. —IEEE Spectrum, 1 Apr. 2024

After synthesizing all the information, researchers gleaned some valuable insights from the tests. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024

Along with the survey, trail organizers will glean feedback from focus groups and at popup events along the trail. —The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024

Sleeping eight to a cell, they were forced to conduct online scams for 17 hours each day, posing as attractive women using photos gleaned from social media to dupe predominantly American victims out of as much cash as possible. —TIME, 21 Mar. 2024

Nichols, who is of Asian-American heritage, grew up in Georgia and gleans influence from the Texas country music scene. —Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

glean

verb

ˈglēn 

1

: to gather from a field or vineyard what has been left (as by reapers)

2

: to gather little by little

glean knowledge from books

gleaner noun