- a small beam or glow of light, esp reflected light
- a brief or dim indication: a gleam of hope
- to send forth or reflect a beam of light
- to appear, esp briefly
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
gleam /glim/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
v. [no object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a flash or beam of light:the gleam of a lantern.
- a subdued or reflected light:the gleam of the full moon.
- a slight showing;
trace:a gleam of hope.
v. [no object]
- to send forth a gleam or gleams:He polished the silver until it gleamed.
- to appear suddenly:A lantern gleamed in the darkness.
gleam
(glēm),USA pronunciation n.
v.i.
gleam′ing•ly, adv.
gleam′less, adj.
- a flash or beam of light:the gleam of a lantern in the dark.
- a dim or subdued light.
- a brief or slight manifestation or occurrence;
trace:a gleam of hope.
v.i.
- to send forth a gleam or gleams.
- to appear suddenly and clearly like a flash of light.
- bef. 1000; (noun, nominal) Middle English glem(e), Old English glǣm; cognate with Old High German gleimo glowworm; akin to Old Saxon glīmo brightness; (verb, verbal) Middle English, derivative of the noun, nominal See glimmer, glimpse
gleam′less, adj.
- 1. Gleam, glimmer, beam, ray are terms for a stream of light. Gleam denotes a not very brilliant, intermittent or nondirectional stream of light. Glimmer indicates a nondirectional light that is feeble and unsteady:a faint glimmer of moonlight.Beam usually means a directional, and therefore smaller, stream:the beam from a searchlight.Ray usually implies a still smaller amount of light than a beam, a single line of light:a ray through a pinprick in a window shade. 4. shine, glimmer, flash, glitter, sparkle, beam.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
gleam /ɡliːm/ n
'gleam' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):