glisten

verb glis·ten \ ˈgli-sᵊn \

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

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Examples: glisten in a Sentence

Definition of glisten

glistened; glistening play \ˈgli-sᵊn-iŋ\

intransitive verb

: to give off a sparkling or lustrous reflection of or as if of a moist or polished surface

See glisten defined for English-language learners

See glisten defined for kids

Examples of glisten in a Sentence

Rain made the streets glisten.
The streets glistened in the rain.
Her eyes glistened with tears.
a long beach of glistening sand

Recent Examples of glisten from the Web

Smith’s honeyed tenor absolutely glistened — overshadowed only by a falsetto for days.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Review: Did Sam Smith and his sad songs find a way to send Charlotte fans home happy?," 7 July 2018
Like her Dutch predecessors, Duennebier’s glistening realism captures bounty and menace, allure and mortification.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Pushing Painting’ presents the medium’s possibilities," 20 June 2018
On Thursday morning, Justify galloped over the Belmont surface for the first time, his copper coat glistening, heavily muscled.

— tim layden, SI.com, "Justify Attempts to Earn Triple Crown at Belmont With Less Narrative, Faded Anticipation," 7 June 2018
The entry hall glistens, with natural ventilation and 32-foot-tall walls of glass.

— john king, SFChronicle.com, "S.F.’s long-awaited Salesforce Transit Center sets opening date for Aug. 12," 10 July 2018
The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz carries the spirit of the Caribbean islands to Bushnell Park July 20 to 22 — though the Capitol building will replace glistening, sandy shores as its backdrop.

— alison kuznitz, courant.com, "A Caribbean Flair Hits This Year's Greater Hartford Festival Of Jazz," 2 July 2018
On a recent visit that fell on the first day of summer, the sun glistened like diamonds off Hingham Bay as leaves rustled in the cool breeze.

— BostonGlobe.com, "At World’s End in Hingham, wooded trails mingle with harbor view," 23 June 2018
Nicole glistened in a long-sleeved gold Givenchy gown paired with simple Jimmy Choo heels.

— amanda garrity, Good Housekeeping, "That's Some Dress Nicole Kidman Wore to the American Songbook Gala With Keith Urban," 30 May 2018
In the watch world, where no record is safe, these were glistening, weird, dazzling, impressive potential record breakers, every one of them.

— cam wolf, GQ, "Here's why the vintage watch market is booming.," 26 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of glisten

Middle English glistnen, from Old English glisnian; akin to Old English glisian to glitter, geolu yellow — more at yellow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

glisten Synonyms

Synonyms

coruscate, flame, flash, glance, gleam, glimmer, glint, glister, glitter, luster (or lustre), scintillate, shimmer, spangle, sparkle, twinkle, wink, winkle;

Related Words

beam, radiate, shine;

bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle;

blaze, burn, flare, glare, glow;

Synonym Discussion of glisten

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

glisten

noun

Definition of glisten

: glitter, sparkle

Recent Examples of glisten from the Web

The sugars will caramelize until the ribs are dark brown, and the salty-spicy-sweet glaze will make the whole thing glisten.

— alyse whitney, Bon Appetit, "You’d Never Know These BBQ Ribs Were Cooked in the Instant Pot," 20 June 2018
Pale pink scrims of raw Hamachi ($16) glisten with bright plum sauce and pop with the sharp tang of pickled onion.

— michael nagrant, RedEye Chicago, "At BLVD, you'll find approachable fine dining in a glamorous setting," 6 Oct. 2017
Picture a large Atlantic codfish: Her scales glisten and her chin whiskers are long.

— ben guarino, Anchorage Daily News, "We’re fishing exactly the wrong fish, scientists warn," 10 May 2018
Built in the 1930s, the crisp 165-foot boat glistens in bright white and shiny wood.

— beth spotswood, San Francisco Chronicle, "A cruise back in time on the ‘Floating White House’," 25 Apr. 2018
The Stila and Onomie have formulas on the moister side, which covers your highlighter base with a healthy-looking glisten.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "Call Me Crazy, But I Can't Stop Wearing Brown Blush," 23 Apr. 2018
Gold accents, such as a gold soap dish, glisten throughout the bathroom.

— jason wilson, chicagotribune.com, "What I learned about America's future from visiting Trump resorts around the world," 14 Mar. 2018
But, as its title implies, much of Man of the Woods also comes with the moonshine-and-mason-jar glisten of country, blues and folk.

— nina braca, Billboard, "Justin Timberlake's 'Man of the Woods': What Critics Are Saying," 2 Feb. 2018
Saffitz wanted the same glisten that Tartine's had under the light, upped the cardamom as a nod to Scandinavian tradition, and emulated the plethora of spots adding whole wheat into their flour mix.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "We Want to Eat These Morning Buns for the Rest of Our Lives," 30 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of glisten

see ¹glisten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1840

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

GLISTEN Defined for English Language Learners

glisten

verb

Definition of glisten for English Language Learners

: to shine with light reflected off a wet surface

GLISTEN Defined for Kids

glisten

verb glis·ten \ ˈgli-sᵊn \

Definition of glisten for Students

glistened; glistening

: to shine with a soft reflected light

Learn More about glisten

See words that rhyme with glisten Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glisten Spanish Central: Translation of glisten Nglish: Translation of glisten for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glisten for Arabic speakers

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glisten

Definition of glisten

Examples of glisten in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glisten from the Web

Origin and Etymology of glisten

glisten Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of glisten

glisten

Definition of glisten

Recent Examples of glisten from the Web

Origin and Etymology of glisten

GLISTEN Defined for English Language Learners

glisten

Definition of glisten for English Language Learners

GLISTEN Defined for Kids

glisten

Definition of glisten for Students

Learn More about glisten

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