glisten

1 of 2

verb

glis·ten ˈgli-sᵊn

glistened; glistening ˈgli-sᵊn-iŋ

intransitive verb

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

glisten

2 of 2

noun

: glitter, sparkle

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Example Sentences

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Normally, the house lights go down, the red LED bulbs glisten and fans switch on their phone flashlights during a timeout.

Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 24 Oct. 2022 But by nightfall, raindrops still fell as sighs and whispers, enough to make pavementse glisten but hardly enough to feel.

Martin Weil, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2022 Choose either the Gold or Bronze Luminizer, to glisten and glow with a healthy-looking shimmer that highlights the beautiful spectrum of tones in your skin— leaving you feeling flawless from morning to night.

Essence, 13 Sep. 2022 The 360-footer has been christened Stella Del Sud after the famous Cartier stone and is designed to glisten just like her 128-carat namesake, according to the Italian studio.

Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 July 2022 The burger seems to glisten from all sides and surfaces.

Jenn Harriscolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 Log cabins dot the premise, the waters of the serene lake glisten in the sun, the sky is a clear blue.

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2022 Her fur might be matted, and her tiny razor teeth might glisten menacingly.

Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 20 July 2022 Wide, beautiful live-edge slab tables glisten with new varnish.

oregonlive, 15 July 2022

Noun

Many of Oman’s wadis, or desert valleys, dry up in the scorching summer months, but at Wadi Bani Khalid, wide pools of water glisten year-round.

Michael Snyder, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2022 Richie is almost back at the water fountain, eyes a-glisten with memory.

Danyel Smith, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2022 Orb spider webs glisten in tall grassy spots on dewy mornings.

Jim Gilbert, Star Tribune, 22 July 2021 But according to celebrity makeup artist Lisa Aharon-who works with actresses Zosia Mamet and Rachel Brosnahan-glittery, glisten-y formulas are the ones to stay away from.

Nikki Brown, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2021 The adornment was little, but there was character in Halston’s swirling batik treatments or the aquatic glisten of an uncolored sequin paillette.

Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 14 May 2021 In the clips, dark metallic polyhedrons rotate on loop and glisten—a reference to Lemercier’s installations in the physical world.

Gregory Barber, Wired, 6 Mar. 2021 Refined details began to emerge: the woman’s warm skin tone, the glisten of her jewelry, the elegance of her lace collar.

Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Feb. 2020 As the shoot moved to Gaye's backyard, a light snow began to fall, lending a peaceful glisten to the singer’s black jacket.

Brian Mccollum, Freep.com, 12 July 2020 See More

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.