How to Use gleam in a Sentence

gleam

1 of 2 noun
Definition of gleamnext
Synonyms for gleamnext
  • He saw the gleam of a flashlight in the distance.
  • Like The World Games is to those blinded by the gleam of the Olympics.
    — John Archibald | [email protected], al, 7 July 2022
  • The 4-inch square tiles gleam like oyster shells in the light.
    — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022
  • The light at the end of the tunnel could be the gleam of the Stanley Cup, though that’s far off.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2022
  • The gleam on the tip of a Glossier fan’s nose could be Haloscope, or simply a trick of the light.
    — Sarah Todd, Quartzy, 24 July 2019
  • That’s when Ellington looks over at me with a gleam in his eye and counts off the band.
    — Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 May 2023
  • Up close, the rings gleam in soft pinks, grays, and browns, shimmering in the darkness.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2022
  • The presidential seal gleams on the wall over Trump’s head.
    — Aamer Madhani, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2019
  • Muscle your way to the front and spend a few moments in the gleam of the long-limbed, graceful Buddha.
    — Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2022
  • Glide and gleam with this Satin Set that is the perfect choice for all of your fun plans this season.
    — Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023
  • The caves stay cool year-round and gleam with water that seeps in from springs, once used in beer making.
    — Dallas News, 18 Aug. 2021
  • The visuals have a glossy sheen, but that gleam is from a foul-smelling stress sweat rather than a healthy glow.
    — Kimber Myers, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2019
  • At night, the city lights gleam as restaurant patrons spill out onto the streets.
    — Samya Kullab, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2020
  • The scenes set in Jane’s classroom gleam with specificity and verve.
    — Joanne Kaufman, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2021
  • Safety helmets laid down gleam like a clutch of gold eggs.
    — Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Off on the horizon, there is a different gleam, one that’s brighter.
    — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Sep. 2022
  • There’s a vibrancy to his suit when the red sections gleam in the light, not to mention the subtle twist of the gold trim.
    — Jacob Krol, CNN Underscored, 8 July 2020
  • Kaffir lime leaves gleam, dark as jade, shredded down to the width of pine needles.
    — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 24 May 2018
  • Stone can be cut and polished to resemble the mirror-gleam of a still pond.
    — Sunset Magazine, 19 Aug. 2020
  • Here is an art-house flick, cunningly coated in the gleam of a high-tech thriller.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
  • What allows him to see the gleam in subjects that would strike others, on their face, as dull?
    — Kate Dailey, Vox, 5 June 2019
  • There are things car wax can do, and there are things car wax can’t do to improve your machine's gleam.
    — Jack Keebler, Car and Driver, 22 Mar. 2022
  • Elvin Jones, God’s own drummer, seems to float behind the gleam of John Coltrane’s tenor: part ghost, part fever dream.
    — Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2019
  • Somebody will recognize that gleam of greatness in you and give you the next job.
    — Sean Kim, Forbes, 31 May 2021
  • Gregg Barnes’s costumes gleam, and Scott Pask’s sets glimmer.
    — Vulture, 11 Dec. 2022
  • Its shell is cracking, and a lurid yellow light gleams from within; a green gas seeps out.
    — J.b., The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019
  • Sometimes its spots light up, or maybe everything but the spots gleam.
    — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2020
  • The plaster would have made the burial ground gleam white, a unique and permanent feature in the landscape.
    — Matti Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2023
  • That means visitors can do as those models did in the video and run up and down the shore with carefree gleams in their eyes.
    — Olivia Harrison, refinery29.com, 5 July 2019
  • For all its gleam, only some 10 percent of the cluster’s mass is visible.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2023
Advertisement

gleam

2 of 2 verb
  • The sun gleamed on the water.
  • His eyes were gleaming with delight.
  • The old stone tower gleams white in the sun as the sirens rise from the street.
    — Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
  • The front door smelled of fresh paint, the window frames were gleaming white.
    — Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
  • But how un-Disney to have those gleaming tile walls for a set.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
  • At the golden hour, the corn stalks gleamed and the onset of fall seemed a little less dreadful.
    — Sofia Jeremias, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The gems under her liner and above her lips gleamed as brightly as the studs in her ears.
    — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 3 Oct. 2023
  • On view in the new image are storms, rings, moons and a gleaming polar ice cap.
    — Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Get rid of scratched broiling pans and mismatched pots and choose a new, gleaming set.
    — Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024
  • And like a cherry on top of dessert, the egg should gleam with a brilliant, inviting flourish.
    — Arlyn Osborne, Bon Appétit, 20 Jan. 2022
  • Their gleaming faces were the idols of my childhood in the 1990s, early lessons in makeup and beauty.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023
  • The band’s gleaming silver sword found its way into Watkins’ hands.
    — Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
  • The goal: a visage that glistened and gleamed, particularly in the glow of a ring light.
    — Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Malek wore an all-black Saint Laurent suit while Boynton gleamed in a black-and-white white dress paired with a red lip.
    — Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
  • Behind her, the Polo Club gleamed the dull gleam of brass and mahogany, feather dusters and floor wax.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
  • This grand project is not the start of another gleaming skyscraper.
    — Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2023
  • The shimmer and sparkle didn't end there, thankfully; a pale pink shimmer gleamed on her lids, too.
    — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 8 Aug. 2023
  • But with the gleaming white kitchen and the pool sparkling in the background, their labor makes for great Instagram fodder.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 July 2023
  • The elegant pieces are made from rich teak and gleaming stainless steel.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 1 May 2023
  • Rodriguez used a knife to slice it open, revealing flesh that was bright and gleaming.
    — Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024
  • The Orb is there too, chrome, gleaming, mounted at eye-level on a pole, waiting to scan us, one by one.
    — WIRED, 28 July 2023
  • Her cheeks were sculpted with a contour, and her cheekbones gleamed with a shiny highlight.
    — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Hints of soft peach glitter gleamed at showgoers from the runway.
    — Kathleen Hou, ELLE, 9 Sep. 2023
  • Here, at the outskirts, the other galaxy merging with your own would gleam in the darkness, bigger and brighter than any star.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2022
  • The album is expansive and carefree, with swatches of psychedelia and tons of bright, gleaming synths.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
  • The creation of zones has not always meant gleaming towers and crowded ports.
    — Andre Pagliarini, The New Republic, 19 June 2023
  • But what about a gleaming copper set with a sweet carved floral pattern?
    — Belle Bakst, Bon Appétit, 6 Dec. 2023
  • Comanche, a gleaming black draft horse mix, had been scheduled to ship out to Mexico in May from a pen in Bowie, Texas.
    — Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 July 2023
  • Choose the right shampoo and enjoy the joy of having a happy, healthy, and gleaming companion by your side.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 8 July 2023
  • But then there’s the hair, the skin, the makeup — all of it gleaming and highly tended to, like it was generated by AI.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 14 Dec. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gleam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: