glint

1 of 2

verb

ˈglint 

glinted; glinting; glints

intransitive verb

1

a

archaic : to glance off an object

b

of rays of light : to be reflected at an angle from a surface

2

: to give off reflection in brilliant flashes

also : gleam

3

: to look quickly or briefly : glance

4

: to appear briefly or faintly

transitive verb

: to cause to glint

glint

2 of 2

noun

1

: a tiny bright flash of light

2

: a brief or faint manifestation : glimmer

a glint of recognition

also : a trace of emotion expressed through the eyes

a steely glint in his eye

Synonyms

Verb

• coruscate
• flame
• flash
• glance
• gleam
• glimmer
• glisten
• glister
• glitter
• luster
• lustre
• scintillate
• shimmer
• spangle
• sparkle
• twinkle
• wink
• winkle

Choose the Right Synonym for glint

flash, gleam, glint, sparkle, glitter, glisten, glimmer, shimmer mean to send forth light.

flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

lightning flashed

gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

lights gleamed in the valley

glint implies a cold glancing light.

glinting steel

sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

the sparkling waters

glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

glittering diamonds

glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

glistening wet sidewalk

glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

a distant glimmering light

shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

a shimmering satin dress

Examples of glint in a Sentence

Verb

The sun glinted off the tops of the waves.

The waves glinted in the sunlight.

Noun

He saw glints of sunlight on the river's surface.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

These small dazzlers glint in the light to both impress and intimidate. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025

Enormous silver machines glinted under fluorescent lights. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025

Noun

Think bold reds, glints of gold, and just the right amount of flair to take you from polite family dinners to full-on bar crawls. —Crystal Chen, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2025

Using specialized macro lenses, the crew captured millimeter-level details, from the glint in a spider’s eye to the fine hairs on a beetle’s mandibles. —Tony Bradley, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to dart obliquely, glint, alteration of glenten, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect glänta to clear up; akin to Old High German glanz bright, Old English geolu yellow — more at yellow

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

glint

verb

ˈglint

: to shine by reflection:

a

: to shine with small bright flashes

b

: to shine briefly

glint noun