glisten

verb glis·ten \ ˈgli-sᵊn \

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

Put yourself in Imamura’s hands with chef’s-selection nori or sashimi plates which are not without gilded accents like shaved truffle atop Hokkaido scallop and gold leaf flecks on glistening ebi.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Katsu," 25 Aug. 2017
High-rise apartments and office towers in downtown Miami, markers of the city’s rapid resurgence, glistened not far off.

— ken belson, New York Times, "David Beckham Closes In on M.L.S. Franchise. Will Miami Care?," 30 July 2017
Nothing glistened more than the NABO welterweight championship belt in tow.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Could S.D. champ Santillan become boxing's next big name?," 26 July 2017
The 1000 South Clark building's glass facade glistens 29 stories high.

— elyssa cherney, chicagotribune.com, "Shooting behind South Loop Target worries residents," 18 July 2017
The look: If whole fish is available, the eyes should be full and shiny, not shrunken; the scales should be uniform and glistening, Spicer said.

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "No. 1 threat to tasty home-cooked salmon is so easy to avoid," 18 July 2017
But there's something distinctly seductive about listening to jazz played on a smallish stage, in an intimate setting, the waters of Lake Michigan serving as glistening backdrop (with boats gliding by every now and then).

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Navy Pier's Lake Stage: An inviting new home for music," 16 July 2017
Those are some damn fine glistening muscles, my friend.

— laura beck, Cosmopolitan, "Drake Bell's Birthday Cake Featured a Shirtless Photo of Himself," 2 July 2017
The eye-popping photos featuring Drake's glistening muscles from every angle in a desert-like setting sent the internet into an all-out tailspin last week.

— chelsea stone, Teen Vogue, "Drake Bell's Birthday Cake Featured a Shirtless Pic of Drake Bell," 29 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

glisten Synonyms

Synonyms

coruscate, flame, glance, gleam, glimmer, glint, flash, 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

So, his rates and percentages all glisten, but his counting stats fall a bit short.

— cleveland.com, "Which Cleveland Indians are deserving of an All-Star Game trip?," 29 June 2017
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
Under his tenure, wind farms have taken root on mountain passes, while large swaths of desert glisten with solar arrays.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "California v. Trump: The Fight Begins for Health Care, Immigration and the Future of America," 23 Jan. 2017

Origin and Etymology of glisten

see ¹glisten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1840

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

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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

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