glint

verb \ ˈglint \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of glint

intransitive verb

1 a archaic : to glance off an object

b of rays of light : to be reflected at an angle from a surface

2 : to give off reflection in brilliant flashes; also : gleam

3 : to look quickly or briefly : glance

4 : to appear briefly or faintly

transitive verb

: to cause to glint

See glint defined for English-language learners

See glint defined for kids

Examples of glint in a Sentence

The sun glinted off the tops of the waves.
The waves glinted in the sunlight.

Recent Examples of glint from the Web

Since 2014, Anaheim has sported a station that's all glinting metal and provocative curves.

— christopher reynolds, latimes.com, "Hug the coast on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner between San Luis Obispo and San Diego," 8 Sep. 2017
An investigation to determine why the false alarm occurred concluded that what Soviet early warning satellites had identified as the flashes of ICBMs being launched was actually just sunlight glinting off cloud tops.

— michael auslin, The Atlantic, "Trump Should Help North Korea Keep Its Nukes Safe," 5 Nov. 2017
Telephone poles in a kind of frozen choreography, mile after mile of them, leaning away from the road; piles of tin that might have been a shed, or a watering trough for cattle, now nothing more than glinting rubble in the brutal summer sun.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "It's More Than Just Houston," 3 Sep. 2017
The sky, by the way, was crystal clear, with a few stars glinting over Gentilly.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Foo Fighters heat up a chilly Saturday at Voodoo Fest 2017," 29 Oct. 2017
Its 110,000 square feet glinted with gold leaf, Spanish tiles, Italian marble and Venetian silks.

— michael luongo, Smithsonian, "The Ironic History of Mar-a-Lago," 26 Oct. 2017
White bobby-sox, part of the high school uniform, glinted on the girls’ ankles.

— Washington Post, "AP Was There: Mob protests Little Rock Central desegregation," 23 Sep. 2017
As late-summer sun glinted through the windows of the gracious Carmel Presbyterian Church on Reading Road, a revolution rolled forward, fueled by sandwiches and macaroni salad, for the health of Avondale’s children.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Helping Avondale's children, one feast at a time, by bringing the community to the table," 11 Sep. 2017
The handsome, silver-haired banker, as chairman of the fair, lined up the political support and financing for an event that drew millions of visitors and decorated the Knoxville skyline with a glinting gold ball dubbed the Sunsphere.

— james r. hagerty, WSJ, "Jake Butcher’s Triumph With 1982 World’s Fair Swiftly Turned Sour," 28 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of glint

Middle English, to dart obliquely, glint, alteration of glenten, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect glänta to clear up; akin to Old High German glanz bright, Old English geolu yellow — more at yellow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

glint Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of glint

flash, gleam, glint, sparkle, glitter, glisten, glimmer, shimmer mean to send forth light. flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

- lightning flashed

gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

- lights gleamed in the valley

glint implies a cold glancing light.

- glinting steel

sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

- the sparkling waters

glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

- glittering diamonds

glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

- glistening wet sidewalk

glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

- a distant glimmering light

shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

- a shimmering satin dress

glint

noun

Definition of glint

1 : a tiny bright flash of light

2 : a brief or faint manifestation : glimmer

a glint of recognition

; also : a trace of emotion expressed through the eyes

a steely glint in his eye

See glint defined for English-language learners

Examples of glint in a Sentence

He saw glints of sunlight on the river's surface.

Recent Examples of glint from the Web

Clouds of gold leaf glint on thin trunks tinted with the palest green.

— dan cryer, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘The Overstory,’ by Richard Powers," 5 Apr. 2018
But as researchers begin to understand how aging works at a molecular level, there’s a glint of promise—and oodles of hype—in new life-extension treatments.

— gregory barber, WIRED, "The Science Behind the Pursuit of Youth," 27 Mar. 2018
We have been informed of the African-American practice of inviting colonizers to cookouts whenever wypipo show a glint of humanity.

— michael harriot, The Root, "The Visitor’s Guide to Cookouts in Wakanda," 27 Mar. 2018
The contrast with Europe’s north is stark: the Strait of Messina is half as wide as the Oresund crossing, but a bridge to Sicily has been a glint in politicians’ eyes for decades.

— The Economist, "The Malmo-Palermo expressTwo giant engineering projects will alter the European landscape," 22 Mar. 2018
When lit from above, the white sculptural mural glints with highlights and shadow.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Enrique Alferez murals in the old Times-Picayune building to be preserved, owners say," 16 Mar. 2018
Notably, the three are redefining country music style by citing the glint, glamour, and peacocking of the past.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "Meet Midland, the Stylish Heartthrobs Who Will Make You Like Country Music," 26 Jan. 2018
The coffee table — an old slab of mesquite — was one of Janie's woodworking projects, and her stained glass work and metal mobiles glint in several rooms.

— andrea galyean, azcentral, "Decades of Arizona artists have called Scottsdale Cattle Track Arts Compound home," 15 Mar. 2018
The surrounding players are exaggerated, one-note caricatures; Barrie’s wife is a superficial shrew, her lover is a fop, the grandmother is stern and matronly, the promoter has a perpetual glint in his eye and the actors are campy.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Circus scene is the highlight of a bland 'Neverland'," 21 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of glint

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

GLINT Defined for English Language Learners

glint

verb

Definition of glint for English Language Learners

: to shine in small bright flashes

glint

noun

Definition of glint for English Language Learners

: a small flash of light
: a small amount of emotion seen in a person's eyes

GLINT Defined for Kids

glint

verb \ ˈglint \

Definition of glint for Students

glinted; glinting

: to shine with tiny bright flashes

glint

noun

Definition of glint for Students

: a brief flash

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See words that rhyme with glint Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glint Spanish Central: Translation of glint Nglish: Translation of glint for Spanish speakers

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glint

Definition of glint

Examples of glint in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glint from the Web

Origin and Etymology of glint

glint Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of glint

glint

Definition of glint

Examples of glint in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glint from the Web

First Known Use of glint

GLINT Defined for English Language Learners

glint

Definition of glint for English Language Learners

glint

Definition of glint for English Language Learners

GLINT Defined for Kids

glint

Definition of glint for Students

glint

Definition of glint for Students

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