Did you know?
The Grainy History of Glean
While it is certainly true that one must reap what one sows (that is, harvest the crops that one plants), what should be done about the grain and other produce left over that the reapers missed? Well, friends, that must be gleaned—waste not, want not, after all. It’s a finicky business, too, picking through stalks and under leaves and whatnot. When it was first used in English in the 14th century, glean carried both the sense of “to gather grain or other produce left by reapers” and the more figurative meaning of “to gather information or material bit by bit,” reflecting the slow, gradual, painstaking work of scouring the fields. 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
Helen Mirren, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
Under a microscope, archaeologists continued to penetrate the object, gleaning specific details that scientific analysis can reveal.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2025
But their identities can be gleaned from past news accounts.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
If nothing else could be gleaned from Florida’s testimonials, the program isn’t going to roll over.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for glean
Cite this Entry
“Glean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glean. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
glean
verb
Share