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glint

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb glint contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of glint are flash, gleam, glimmer, glisten, glitter, shimmer, and sparkle. While all these words mean "to send forth light," glint implies a cold glancing light.

glinting steel

When is flash a more appropriate choice than glint?

The words flash and glint are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

lightning flashed

When would gleam be a good substitute for glint?

The synonyms gleam and glint are sometimes interchangeable, but gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

lights gleamed in the valley

Where would glimmer be a reasonable alternative to glint?

The meanings of glimmer and glint largely overlap; however, glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

a distant glimmering light

When might glisten be a better fit than glint?

The words glisten and glint can be used in similar contexts, but glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

glistening wet sidewalk

In what contexts can glitter take the place of glint?

While in some cases nearly identical to glint, glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

glittering diamonds

When is it sensible to use shimmer instead of glint?

While the synonyms shimmer and glint are close in meaning, shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

a shimmering satin dress

When could sparkle be used to replace glint?

In some situations, the words sparkle and glint are roughly equivalent. However, sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

the sparkling waters

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of glint
Verb
They were all infused with this new self-confidence and this glint in their eye by the end. Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 31 July 2025 Light up the lake at Great Parks Spark in the Dark Illuminate the night by floating on glowing boats as the water glints and gleams. Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 18 July 2025
Noun
Simulations suggest that roughly one in 10 Rubin images will contain at least one bright streak or glint from the thousands of SpaceX Starlink and other satellites orbiting Earth. Jonathan Corum, New York Times, 19 June 2025 For many, Maine is a summer refuge—beaches with powdery sand and glinting grey-blue water intermingled with bucolic topography; mountains, lake houses. Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for glint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glint
Verb
  • If the Guard comes, it will be limited to patrolling our city’s gleaming streets in the privileged heart of the city.
    Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Dunn pointed out gleaming replicas of these artifacts, on display in the exhibition, alongside surfboards illustrating the evolution of the spot throughout history.
    Chloe Veltman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In another photo, the Pomellato woman sits in a bar wearing a patent leather trench, a beret, a stack of bracelets on one arm, glancing down at her companion — an English bulldog.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2025
  • On a large scale LED screen, a white cheeked spider monkey sits hunched over a smart phone within a smouldering virtual Brazilian forest landscape, occasionally glancing up at his viewers.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Lit Ghost Cloche Add a small but impactful touch of Halloween with these little ghost cloches that add an eerie glow to coffee tables, shelves, and countertops.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2025
  • For the Grad School Queens and Teachers Whether she’s headed back to school for her master’s or ruling the classroom, the women returning to academia deserve a beauty routine that supports her grind without sacrificing her glow.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • If a fan’s only window into football analytics is a contextless statistic that flashes on the screen, though, then they might be justified in thinking data was useless.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Warning signs have been flashing for months that the job market has been losing steam.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Hall used to peek over her aunt’s fence to get a glimpse of the mysterious new kid on the block until her aunt introduced them.
    Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
  • When asked about giving fans a public opportunity to peek into Carrie's enviable closet, the Sex and the City star, 60, revealed during a recent Q&A, hosted by Threads, that an exhibition would definitely be possible, as the show has retained much of her character's wardrobe.
    Erin Clack, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Based on Alice Oseman's popular webcomic turned graphic novels, Heartstopper is loaded with longing glares, timid greetings, delicate touches, and all the definitive hallmarks of young love as two classmates fall for each other at Truham Grammar School for Boys.
    James Mercadante, EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The Perseid meteor shower peaked on Aug 12–13, overcoming the glare of a waning gibbous moon to put on a spectacular show of shooting stars that delighted onlookers worldwide.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Docu director Philippe grew up in a home with the same deep red wallpaper as in the iconic Vertigo scene where a surveilling James Stewart first glimpses Novak in all her gorgeousness.
    Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2025
  • By day, visitors wander past mirror-like rice paddies and mossy waterwheels—pausing at Wada House to glimpse Edo-era life with silkworm trays, saltpeter trade ledgers, and a grand Buddhist altar glowing in the hearthlight.
    Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • And now, as the first glimmer of reconciliation has emerged due to aides from the two meeting last month and the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between father and son in the cards, a new tell-all book could bring all of that crashing down.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 29 Aug. 2025
  • On the morning of Wednesday, August 6, Luhn finally saw a glimmer of hope.
    Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Glint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glint. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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