glimmered; glimmering
ˈgli-mə-riŋ 
ˈglim-
1
a
: to shine faintly or unsteadily
The candles glimmered in the windows.
b
: to give off a subdued unsteady reflection
Her white satin dress glimmered in the dusk.
2
: to appear indistinctly with a faintly luminous quality
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Verb
Candles glimmered in the windows of the inn.
Moonlight glimmered on the pond.
Noun
the glimmer of a distant star
Their first meeting with the new boss gave them a glimmer of what they could expect.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023
Sheer mermaid gowns and dresses with sinuous three-dimensional florets glimmered with paillettes and tulle.
—Thomas Adamson, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023
Wearing a black suit, black sunglasses, leather gloves and a cream tie paired with a glimmering tie knot broach, Usher embraced the theme.
—USA TODAY, 2 May 2023
Meanwhile, the Royal School of Needlework (of which the Queen Consort is patron) worked to create new appliques for the new royals in glimmering gold thread (Elizabeth and Philip’s originals will be conserved in the Royal Collection).
—Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 2 May 2023
While hiking in a cleared area of a Tuscan forest northeast of Livorno, a member of the Livorno Paleontological Archaeological Group spotted a few glimmering coins in the dirt in November 2021.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 1 May 2023
Portuguese promotional videos from the ’60s and ’70s advertise guests cruising through the bush in groovy VW microbuses and sitting beside a glimmering swimming pool at Chitengo Camp.
—Mary Holland, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2023
Slurp some swoon-worthy oysters at Dale's Seafood on the shores of this glimmering natural wonder.
—Perri O. Blumberg, Country Living, 18 Apr. 2023
Beyond becoming a glimmering trophy for the cover, the 21-year-old poses in the kind of fashion looks that put her on Vogue‘s radar to host their Met Gala red carpet in 2022 and crowned her a Louis Vuitton brand ambassador.
—Kimberly Aleah, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2023
Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
The surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, whose rivalry fueled the war, has raised a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough in resolving one of the world’s worst crises.
—Shuaib Almosawa, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023
And glimmers of Bronny’s promise — 15 points and the game-winning layup against St. Vincent-St. Mary as a freshman — were dimmed by injury and competition within the Sierra Canyon program.
—Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
Mifepristone started out as a glimmer in the mind of our dashing French biochemist, Étienne-Émile Baulieu, in the 1970s.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 10 Feb. 2023
In the Dark Ages of broadcast TV, that qualifies as a glimmer of light.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2023
Still, many Brazilians see a glimmer of hope in the return of Lula, who was inaugurated as president on Jan. 1, beginning his third, nonconsecutive term after narrowly defeating Jair Bolsonaro last fall.
—Ana Ionova, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Jan. 2023
Many nevertheless see the new leadership in Pakistan as a glimmer of hope.
—Devika Rao, The Week, 1 Dec. 2022
Although there is a glimmer of good news, the U.S. will likely see a challenging job market for white-collar professionals for the next four to six months.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 May 2023
See More
Verb
Breaking up the monochromatic color palette was a pair of glimmering drop earrings cascading with lilac raindrop gemstones.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023
Sheer mermaid gowns and dresses with sinuous three-dimensional florets glimmered with paillettes and tulle.
—Thomas Adamson, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023
Wearing a black suit, black sunglasses, leather gloves and a cream tie paired with a glimmering tie knot broach, Usher embraced the theme.
—USA TODAY, 2 May 2023
Meanwhile, the Royal School of Needlework (of which the Queen Consort is patron) worked to create new appliques for the new royals in glimmering gold thread (Elizabeth and Philip’s originals will be conserved in the Royal Collection).
—Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 2 May 2023
While hiking in a cleared area of a Tuscan forest northeast of Livorno, a member of the Livorno Paleontological Archaeological Group spotted a few glimmering coins in the dirt in November 2021.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 1 May 2023
Portuguese promotional videos from the ’60s and ’70s advertise guests cruising through the bush in groovy VW microbuses and sitting beside a glimmering swimming pool at Chitengo Camp.
—Mary Holland, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2023
Slurp some swoon-worthy oysters at Dale's Seafood on the shores of this glimmering natural wonder.
—Perri O. Blumberg, Country Living, 18 Apr. 2023
Beyond becoming a glimmering trophy for the cover, the 21-year-old poses in the kind of fashion looks that put her on Vogue‘s radar to host their Met Gala red carpet in 2022 and crowned her a Louis Vuitton brand ambassador.
—Kimberly Aleah, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2023
Noun
There were glimmers of hope at the end of last year, after Biden met Xi in Bali in November, that the relationship between the world’s two largest economies might be improving.
—Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
The surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, whose rivalry fueled the war, has raised a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough in resolving one of the world’s worst crises.
—Shuaib Almosawa, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2023
And glimmers of Bronny’s promise — 15 points and the game-winning layup against St. Vincent-St. Mary as a freshman — were dimmed by injury and competition within the Sierra Canyon program.
—Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
Mifepristone started out as a glimmer in the mind of our dashing French biochemist, Étienne-Émile Baulieu, in the 1970s.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 10 Feb. 2023
In the Dark Ages of broadcast TV, that qualifies as a glimmer of light.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2023
Still, many Brazilians see a glimmer of hope in the return of Lula, who was inaugurated as president on Jan. 1, beginning his third, nonconsecutive term after narrowly defeating Jair Bolsonaro last fall.
—Ana Ionova, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Jan. 2023
Many nevertheless see the new leadership in Pakistan as a glimmer of hope.
—Devika Rao, The Week, 1 Dec. 2022
Although there is a glimmer of good news, the U.S. will likely see a challenging job market for white-collar professionals for the next four to six months.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glimmer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing glimmer
Dictionary Entries Near glimmer
Cite this Entry
“Glimmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glimmer. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on glimmer
Nglish: Translation of glimmer for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of glimmer for Arabic Speakers
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