MEANING
To shine with reflected light, especially on a wet or smooth surface.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- glisten with moisture
- glisten in the light
On the page
Rainwater glistened on the dark leaves.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- glisten
- Past tense
- glistened
- Past participle
- glistened
- Present participle
- glistening
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- glisten
- Present continuous
- am/is/are glistening
- Present perfect
- have/has glistened
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been glistening
- Past
- glistened
- Past continuous
- was/were glistening
- Past perfect
- had glistened
- Past perfect continuous
- had been glistening
- Future
- will glisten
- Future continuous
- will be glistening
- Future perfect
- will have glistened
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been glistening
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: glisten; glistens; glistened; glistened; glistening Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: glistens.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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