glean

verb

ˈglēn 

gleaned; gleaning; gleans

intransitive verb

1

: to gather grain or other produce left by reapers

2

: to gather information or material bit by bit

transitive verb

1

a

: to pick up after a reaper

b

: to strip of the leavings of reapers

glean a field

2

a

: to gather (something, such as information) bit by bit

can glean secrets from his hard drive

b

: to pick over in search of relevant material

gleaning old files for information

3

: find out

The police used old-fashioned detective work to glean his whereabouts.

gleanable

ˈglē-nə-bəl 

adjective

gleaner noun

Did you know?

The Grainy History of Glean

While it is certainly true that one must reap what one sows (that is, harvest the crops that one plants), what should be done about the grain and other produce left over that the reapers missed? Well, friends, that must be gleaned—waste not, want not, after all. It’s a finicky business, too, picking through stalks and under leaves and whatnot. When it was first used in English in the 14th century, glean carried both the sense of “to gather grain or other produce left by reapers” and the more figurative meaning of “to gather information or material bit by bit,” reflecting the slow, gradual, painstaking work of scouring the fields. Over the years, and especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, glean has also come to be used frequently with the meaning “to find out, learn, ascertain.” This sense has been criticized by folks who think glean should always imply the drudgery involved in the literal grain-gathering sense, but it is well established and perfectly valid.

Examples of glean in a Sentence

She gleaned her data from various studies.

He has a collection of antique tools gleaned from flea markets and garage sales.

They spent days gleaning the files for information.

They spent hours gleaning in the wheat fields.

gleaning stray ears of corn

Recent Examples on the Web

Although coveted Ivy League admissions statistics have largely been withheld, students and parents can glean information from the data points that top schools do release; these metrics can provide a strong indication of an institution’s priorities and values in the coming years. —Christopher Rim, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Roman Lukyanenko, a University of Virginia professor who specializes in research methods, agrees that a major future focus should be developing ways to support the initial prompt process to glean better answers. —IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2024

In order to glean the reasons, the team looked back over time for similar violent events. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024

Participants had their gut flora analyzed via metagenomics, a technique that can glean insights into gut microbiome composition based on sequencing the genetic content of stool samples. —Christina Manian, Health, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English glenen, from Anglo-French glener, from Late Latin glennare, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish doglenn he selects

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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Kids Definition

glean

verb

ˈglēn 

1

: to gather from a field or vineyard what has been left (as by reapers)

2

: to gather little by little

glean knowledge from books

gleaner noun