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gleam

gleam

34 2.9
A small, quick flash of light from a shiny surface
  • noun
  • /ɡliːm/
translation icon : destello
  • As the sun set, a soft gleam appeared on the surface of the lake.
  • a gleam of light
  • gleam in the eye

That's there's some, you know, gleam of hope for these GOP years tonight.

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Examples

  • Why?" Her eyes lit up with that fanatical gleam he was coming to know so well.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Although his hair was gray, his eye had the gleam of one who enjoys what he is doing.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The gleam in the eye of Set.

  • If there was a gleam of a silver bullet anywhere, he wanted to see it.

    Academic text (2014)
  • After a moment, a gleam came into his eyes, however, behind the big round spectacles.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "Uncle Sam has that certain gleam in his eye, but he sits carefully over his bag marked, "Surplus."

    Academic text (2000)
  • Her face was hot, almost stern, save for the soft gleam of piteous doubt.

  • "Easy, my little friend," Drizzt said, seeing the sudden gleam in the halfling's eye.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Karvas looked back and forth between the two, a calculating gleam in his eye.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • As we approach Cairns after a six-hour flight from Apia, the Great Barrier Reef gleams in turquoise ripples.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

glint
vsgleam
20 2.9

A small quick flash when light bounces off something

is usually fainter and less sharp than a quick reflected flash
glimmer
vsgleam
10 3.7

A small, weak light that appears briefly

is a brief but clearer flash of light rather than very faint
twinkle
vsgleam
9 2.3

A quick flash of light that appears for a moment

is a single brief faint flash rather than repeated sparkle
scintillation
vsgleam
8.4

A short bright flash that looks like a sparkle

is a weaker, fainter reflected beam rather than a bright sparkle

Antonyms

544 1.0

A dark shape on the ground made when something blocks light

534 1.0

A time or place with almost no light

How Bright

dazzle
11 5.6
flash
273 1.7
gleam
34 2.9
glint
20 2.9
glimmer
10 3.7

Surface Forms

gleam singular
gleams plural

Etymology

Gleam comes from an old English word that meant 'bright light' and is like the common word glow. So a gleam is a small, quick flash of light, often a faint flash you see from a mirror or water.