Definition of glisten verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

glisten

verb

/ˈɡlɪsn/

[intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they glisten	/ˈɡlɪsn/ /ˈɡlɪsn/
he / she / it glistens	/ˈɡlɪsnz/ /ˈɡlɪsnz/
past simple glistened	/ˈɡlɪsnd/ /ˈɡlɪsnd/
past participle glistened	/ˈɡlɪsnd/ /ˈɡlɪsnd/
-ing form glistening	/ˈɡlɪsnɪŋ/ /ˈɡlɪsnɪŋ/

Idioms

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(of something wet) to shine
- Her eyes were glistening with tears.
- Sweat glistened on his forehead.
- + adj. The road glistened wet after the rain.
Synonyms shine
shinegleam ▪ glow ▪ sparkle ▪ glisten ▪ shimmer ▪ glitter ▪ twinkle ▪ glintThese words all mean to produce or reflect light.
shine to produce or reflect light, especially brightly:
The sun was shining and the sky was blue.
gleam to shine with a clear bright or pale light, especially a reflected light:
Moonlight gleamed on the water.
glow (often of something hot or warm) to produce a steady light that is not very bright:
The end of his cigarette glowed red.
sparkle to shine brightly with small flashes of light:
The diamonds sparkled in the light.
glisten (of something wet) to shine:
The road glistened wet after the rain.
shimmer to shine with a soft light that seems to shake slightly:
Everything seemed to shimmer in the heat.
glitter to shine brightly with small flashes of reflected light:
The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold.
sparkle or glitter?There is very little difference in meaning between these two words. Glitter can sometimes suggest a lack of depth, but this is more frequent in the figurative use of glitter as a noun: the superficial glitter of show business. Sparkle is also often used to talk about light reflected off a surface, but things that produce light can also sparkle: Stars sparkled in the sky.
twinkle to shine with a light that changes rapidly from bright to faint to bright again:
Stars twinkled in the sky.
glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light:
The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness.
Patterns
- to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint on something
- to shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/twinkle/glint with something
- to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the sunlight
- to shine/gleam/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the moonlight
- the stars shine/sparkle/glitter/twinkle
- somebody’s eyes shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/glitter/twinkle/glint
- to shine/gleam/glow/glitter brightly
- to shine/gleam/glow/shimmer softly
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
Glisten is used with these nouns as the subject:
dew
eye
hair
…
See full entry
Word OriginOld English glisnian, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German glisen. The noun dates from the mid 19th cent.

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Idioms

all that glitters/glistens/glisters is not gold

(saying) not everything that seems good, attractive, etc. is actually good, etc.

See glisten in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Check pronunciation: glisten

Nearby words

influence

verb

From the Word list

OPAL spoken words

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