as in glows
the steady giving off of the form of radiation that makes vision possible
the door opened a crack and let in a gleam of light from the hallway
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in glints
to shoot forth bursts of light
fine china and stemware gleaming in the candlelight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gleams
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Yorkshire Pecorino gleams pale, smooth, and yogurty.
—Olivia Potts, Longreads, 28 May 2026
Around the corner is Alexander Calder’s 1964 fountain Three Quintains (Hello Girls), which has been lovingly restored and gleams in the early morning light.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
General Daily Insight for April 10, 2026 A friendly spark gleams over our current conversations.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
Wessels catches gleams to follow not only in magical tales but in twinkling memories, sparkling wordplay, the films of silver-screen star Veronica Lake, and his charm of a daughter, the inspiration of a half-dozen poems that take their titles from spells.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The total attendance figure for the 2025 season (4,012,470) gleams in blue on the bottom of the ring.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
The brilliant white building gleams in all its Art Deco glory, symbolizing Miami’s political and aviation history.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Creative fire rises as the nurturing Moon enters Aries and gleams within your 5th House of Creativity, encouraging bold self-expression in whichever way most pleases your heart.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2026
Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Despite a couple of funky skips, the album is fueled by the hunger of an artist who really wants the pop life again, perking up electro-scuzz and arena rock with new wave that gleams like glitter.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
The mother-and-daughter duo revamped almost every corner of the 7,000-square-foot home, including its exterior, which now gleams with white siding and cobalt-blue shutters.
—Paola Singer, Architectural Digest, 13 Nov. 2025
The Airstream gleams absurdly against the ocherous land below.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Patches of unintelligibility are nothing new in Pynchon, but usually a coherent world view gleams upward from the murk.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Nothing gleams as beautifully as a white kitchen.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
From up here, San Sebastián gleams to the east, the sea stretches endlessly forward, and silence settles like an ancient cloak.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Yorkshire Pecorino gleams pale, smooth, and yogurty.
—Olivia Potts, Longreads, 28 May 2026
Around the corner is Alexander Calder’s 1964 fountain Three Quintains (Hello Girls), which has been lovingly restored and gleams in the early morning light.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
General Daily Insight for April 10, 2026 A friendly spark gleams over our current conversations.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
Wessels catches gleams to follow not only in magical tales but in twinkling memories, sparkling wordplay, the films of silver-screen star Veronica Lake, and his charm of a daughter, the inspiration of a half-dozen poems that take their titles from spells.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The total attendance figure for the 2025 season (4,012,470) gleams in blue on the bottom of the ring.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
The brilliant white building gleams in all its Art Deco glory, symbolizing Miami’s political and aviation history.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Creative fire rises as the nurturing Moon enters Aries and gleams within your 5th House of Creativity, encouraging bold self-expression in whichever way most pleases your heart.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
Like Beckham’s dress, the 100-percent silk dress softly gleams in the light.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Despite a couple of funky skips, the album is fueled by the hunger of an artist who really wants the pop life again, perking up electro-scuzz and arena rock with new wave that gleams like glitter.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
The mother-and-daughter duo revamped almost every corner of the 7,000-square-foot home, including its exterior, which now gleams with white siding and cobalt-blue shutters.
—Paola Singer, Architectural Digest, 13 Nov. 2025
The Airstream gleams absurdly against the ocherous land below.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Patches of unintelligibility are nothing new in Pynchon, but usually a coherent world view gleams upward from the murk.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Nothing gleams as beautifully as a white kitchen.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gleams
Noun
-
The unusual auroras were photographed over Hokkaido, Japan, where observers captured diffuse red glows hanging low over the horizon.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
26 May 2026
-
Come evening, the pizza oven glows or a local farm-to-table chef cooks as the light fades.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That, from time to time, during his endless task, the sun glints across the rock’s face in a way that reminds him that there were good times, or at least different times.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Soft breezes ripple through the sea grapes, and sunlight glints off the aquamarine shallows that surround Bahia Honda State Park.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Fortunately, the emotional spar fest between the queen of withering glares and snippy comments — award winner Allison Janney — and the onstage king of stammering self involvement — Andrew Rannells — clicks in director/writer Jim Rash dramedy debut.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
The shooter tamed the sun’s glares while ensuring the deep-red gazebo popped against the lush green park.—
Kimberly Gedeon,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Bella Hadid shimmers in another look at the Hotel Martinez during the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 20.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
-
Each new hill brings a slightly different and powerful view of Martinez and its petroleum refinery infrastructure; farther in the horizon, like a mirage of an ivory city, shimmers a wind-turbine farm.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Amanda is talking about her friendships with Ciara and West in confessional when the background suddenly starts to wobble, the lights flicker, and her outfit changes.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
And Ursula tried to block them out, but the lights still flashed inside her eyelids.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
But the film shines a light on the underrecognized effort to gather weather data, the importance of paying attention to what the evidence showed, and the very little that separated success and defeat that day.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
-
Your generous spirit shines brighter with boundaries that keep your offerings sustainable.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The Mandarin Grand Rooms perch between the 30th and 36th floors like a tranquil retreat in the sky; the frenetic financial district eases down below and, on cloudless days, Mount Fuji glistens in the distance.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Lake Graham glistens in the distance.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Sarah Pidgeon flashes a sweet smile at the opening night of the new musical Girl, Interrupted on June 4 in New York City.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
-
The front of the doorbell holds the call button, an LED ring that flashes blue when the button is pressed or white during a firmware update, an ambient light sensor, two infrared LEDs, and a microphone.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gleams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gleams. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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