glowed; glowing; glows
1
2
a
: to experience a sensation of or as if of heat
glowing with rage
b
: to show exuberance or elation
glow with pride
1
: brightness or warmth of color
especially
: redness
2
a
: warmth of feeling or emotion
b
: a sensation of warmth
the drug produces a sustained glow
3
a
: the state of glowing with heat and light
b
: light such as is emitted by a solid body heated to luminosity : incandescence
Synonyms
Examples of glow in a Sentence
Verb
The coals glowed in the fireplace.
The fireplace glowed with the dying coals.
This toy glows in the dark.
Noun
We could see the glow of the lamp in the window.
The town's lights cast a glow on the horizon.
the rosy glow of health
He felt a glow as he remembered the day they first met.
Their problems were all forgotten in the glow of victory.
She felt the glow from the fireplace.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024
So many hours of each day are lived through our portable, glowing screens, but the Internet isn’t even fun anymore.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
It's spiked with a nourishing blend of meadowfoam and sunflower seed oils, as well as lotus seed, to leave skin utterly glowing.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 9 Apr. 2024
The chromosphere, or part of the sun’s atmosphere, may glow in a thin pink circle around the moon during totality, while the sun’s hot outer atmosphere, or corona, will appear as white light.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
The couple faced massive backlash in September for writing glowing letters of support for their TV actor friend, Danny Masterson before he was sentenced to 30 years to life after being convicted of two counts of rape.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
To go with the launch, Fenty Beauty released a new makeup brush, the Precision Highlighter Brush 135, lending the soft, diffusing glow Demi’Glow is known for.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
With over 300,000 individuals riding on the trend, the platform boasts a whopping 80,000 glowing 5-star reviews.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
When the moon begins to cross in front of the sun, the star’s rays will shine around valleys on the moon’s horizon, creating glowing drops of light around the moon called Baily’s beads.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
David Benedict, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
The Grammy winner’s bronzy glow could certainly be attributed to a spray tan, but the superstar has been catching some sun while vacationing in the Bahamas with her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Among low-star reviews, buyers frequently complain that a bug zapper is simply a glow light without any real insect-killing capabilities.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
Evoking the era the supermodel returns to time and time again sartorially, Hadid’s oval nails were imbued with a lilac-toned glow.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2024
Crafted to infuse any environment with a warm, welcoming glow, the unique spiral filaments provide a cozy atmosphere perfect for evenings all year round.
—Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2024
Waving light-up glow sticks, fans passionately — and loudly — sang along, from the pit to the upper rafters of the venue.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024
As the clock ticks past 9 a.m., the autumn sun casts a warm glow on designer Nia Thomas.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 18 Mar. 2024
Sunless tanning products were a thing, sure, but the results were generally streaky and orange, more Ross on that one episode of Friends than a J.Lo glow.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Last month, the 23-year-old wunderkind’s feature directorial debut, Sew Torn, premiered at South by Southwest to glowing reviews, capping an extraordinary five-plus years for the young filmmaker.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024
So many hours of each day are lived through our portable, glowing screens, but the Internet isn’t even fun anymore.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
It's spiked with a nourishing blend of meadowfoam and sunflower seed oils, as well as lotus seed, to leave skin utterly glowing.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 9 Apr. 2024
The chromosphere, or part of the sun’s atmosphere, may glow in a thin pink circle around the moon during totality, while the sun’s hot outer atmosphere, or corona, will appear as white light.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
The couple faced massive backlash in September for writing glowing letters of support for their TV actor friend, Danny Masterson before he was sentenced to 30 years to life after being convicted of two counts of rape.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
To go with the launch, Fenty Beauty released a new makeup brush, the Precision Highlighter Brush 135, lending the soft, diffusing glow Demi’Glow is known for.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
With over 300,000 individuals riding on the trend, the platform boasts a whopping 80,000 glowing 5-star reviews.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
When the moon begins to cross in front of the sun, the star’s rays will shine around valleys on the moon’s horizon, creating glowing drops of light around the moon called Baily’s beads.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
Despite the unevenness of this production, Clarkson’s tender glow keeps it alive.
—David Benedict, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
The Grammy winner’s bronzy glow could certainly be attributed to a spray tan, but the superstar has been catching some sun while vacationing in the Bahamas with her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Among low-star reviews, buyers frequently complain that a bug zapper is simply a glow light without any real insect-killing capabilities.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
Evoking the era the supermodel returns to time and time again sartorially, Hadid’s oval nails were imbued with a lilac-toned glow.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2024
Crafted to infuse any environment with a warm, welcoming glow, the unique spiral filaments provide a cozy atmosphere perfect for evenings all year round.
—Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2024
Waving light-up glow sticks, fans passionately — and loudly — sang along, from the pit to the upper rafters of the venue.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024
As the clock ticks past 9 a.m., the autumn sun casts a warm glow on designer Nia Thomas.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 18 Mar. 2024
Sunless tanning products were a thing, sure, but the results were generally streaky and orange, more Ross on that one episode of Friends than a J.Lo glow.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Old English glōwan; akin to Old English geolu yellow — more at yellow
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of glow was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing glow
Dictionary Entries Near glow
Cite this Entry
“Glow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glow. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
glow
1 of 2 verb1
: to shine with or as if with great heat : give off light without flame
glowing coals
2
: to have a rich warm usually reddish color
3
: to be or look warm and flushed (as from excitement)
glow with pride
glow
2 of 2 noun1
: brightness or warmth of color
a rosy glow of health
2
a
: warmth of feeling
b
: a feeling of physical warmth
3
: light such as that given off by something that is very hot but not flaming
More from Merriam-Webster on glow
Nglish: Translation of glow for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of glow for Arabic Speakers
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