gleam
[noun]
Synonyms:
- glow, beam, flash, glimmer, ray, sparkle
- trace, flicker, glimmer, hint, inkling, suggestion
[verb]
Synonyms:
- shine, flash, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, glow, shimmer, sparkle

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Related Words: burn

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English Thesaurus: shine, flash, glare, flicker, twinkle, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. gleam¹ /ɡliːm/ verb [intransitive]

1. to shine softly Synonym : glimmer:
His teeth gleamed under his moustache.
gleam with
The wooden panelling was gleaming with wax polish.

2. if your eyes or face gleam with a feeling, they show it Synonym : glint
gleam with
He laughed, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
—gleaming adjective:
gleaming white walls

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. gleam² noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: glæm]

1. a small pale light, especially one that shines for a short time Synonym : glimmer
gleam of
They saw a sudden gleam of light.

2. the brightness of something that shines Synonym : glint
gleam of
the gleam of gold and diamonds

3. an emotion or expression that appears for a moment on someone’s face
gleam of
She saw a gleam of amusement in his eyes.
Rose looked at me with a furious gleam in her eyes.

4. something is a gleam in sb’s eye used to say that something is being planned or thought about, but does not yet exist:
In those days, CD-ROMs were still just a gleam in the eye of some young engineer.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gleam
noun
I. soft light
ADJ. dull, faint | distant
PREP. ~ of the distant gleam of the sea
PHRASES a gleam of light a faint gleam of light from the doorway

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gleam
II. in sb's eyes
ADJ. cold, dark, strange | predatory, speculative | mischievous, sardonic, wicked | sudden
VERB + GLEAM have He had a speculative gleam in his eyes.
GLEAM + VERB come into/enter/light sb's eye/eyes A sudden gleam came into her eye as she remembered that tomorrow was her day off.
PREP. ~ of A gleam of laughter lit his eyes.
PHRASES a gleam in sb's eye/eyes

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gleam
verb
ADV. dully, faintly, softly The knife's blade gleamed dully in the dark.
PREP. with The long oak table gleamed with polish.
PHRASES gleam golden, white, etc. The pebble beach gleamed white in the moonlight.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

shine to produce bright light:
The sun was shining.
flash to shine brightly for a very short time, or to shine on and off very quickly many times:
Lightning flashed across the sky.
The police car’s lights were flashing.
glare to shine with a very strong light which hurts your eyes:
The sun glared in her eyes.
flicker to shine with an unsteady light – used about a flame or light:
The candle flickered and went out.
twinkle if stars or lights twinkle, they shine in the dark in a way that seems to change from bright to faint, especially because you are a long way away from them:
stars twinkling in the sky
The harbour lights twinkled in the distance.
glow especially literary to shine with a warm soft light:
Lights glowed in the windows.
blaze literary to shine very brightly:
The lights of the factory were still blazing.
sparkle/glitter if something sparkles, it shines with many small bright points when light is on it:
The sea sparkled in the sunlight.
Jewels glittered around her neck.
gleam to shine by reflecting the light – used especially about smooth clean surfaces, or about someone’s eyes or teeth:
The sword’s blade gleamed.
a gleaming sports car
His blue eyes gleamed with amusement.
glint to shine with quick flashes of light:
The knife glinted in the sunlight.
glisten literary to shine – used about wet or oily surfaces. Used especially when saying that someone’s eyes are full of tears, or someone’s skin is covered in sweat:
As they were leaving, her eyes glistened with tears.
His forehead was glistening with sweat.
The wet chairs glistened in the afternoon sun.
catch the light if something catches the light, it shines because it is reflecting light:
Her diamond ring caught the light.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲