glis·ten [glistenglistensglistenedglistening] BrE [ˈɡlɪsn] NAmE [ˈɡlɪsn] verb intransitive (of sth wet)to shine •Her eyes were glistening with tears. •Sweat glistened on his forehead. •+ adj. The road glistened wet after the rain. see all that glitters/glistens is not gold at ↑goldn. Verb forms:
Word Origin: Old English glisnian, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German glisen. The noun dates from the mid 19th cent.
Synonyms: shine gleam • glow • sparkle • glisten • shimmer • glitter • twinkle • glint These 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 sth hot or warm) to produce a dull steady light: ▪ The end of his cigarette glowed red. sparkle • to shine brightly with small flashes of light: ▪ The diamonds sparkled in the light. glisten • (of sth 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. to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint on sth to shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/twinkle/glint with sth 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 sb's eyes shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/glitter/twinkle/glint to shine/gleam/glow/glitter brightly to shine/gleam/glow/shimmer softly
