How to Use gleam in a Sentence

gleam

1 of 2 noun
  • He saw the gleam of a flashlight in the distance.
  • The 4-inch square tiles gleam like oyster shells in the light.
    — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022
  • At last, a few gleams of paving stone showed through the murk in the lane below.
    — Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The sun gleams from third base to Huntington.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • That’s when Ellington looks over at me with a gleam in his eye and counts off the band.
    — Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 May 2023
  • This longtime fave has a rich texture, yet leaves zero grease or gleam.
    — Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 10 Nov. 2022
  • Sometimes its spots light up, or maybe everything but the spots gleam.
    — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2020
  • At night, the city lights gleam as restaurant patrons spill out onto the streets.
    — Samya Kullab, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2020
  • Off on the horizon, there is a different gleam, one that’s brighter.
    — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Sep. 2022
  • Kaffir lime leaves gleam, dark as jade, shredded down to the width of pine needles.
    — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 24 May 2018
  • The caves stay cool year-round and gleam with water that seeps in from springs, once used in beer making.
    — Dallas News, 18 Aug. 2021
  • Here is an art-house flick, cunningly coated in the gleam of a high-tech thriller.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
  • There are things car wax can do, and there are things car wax can’t do to improve your machine's gleam.
    — Jack Keebler, Car and Driver, 22 Mar. 2022
  • Its shell is cracking, and a lurid yellow light gleams from within; a green gas seeps out.
    — J.b., The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019
  • That smile could outshine the studio's gleam, the spark of resilience, hope and dream.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Up close, the rings gleam in soft pinks, grays, and browns, shimmering in the darkness.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2022
  • The visuals have a glossy sheen, but that gleam is from a foul-smelling stress sweat rather than a healthy glow.
    — Kimber Myers, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2019
  • While people point fingers at who's to blame for the loss, there's one gleam of hope for the team right now.
    — Jenn McGraw, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
  • There was a gleam in his eyes, but there were no words coming at all from him about this masterpiece.
    — Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2021
  • Stone can be cut and polished to resemble the mirror-gleam of a still pond.
    — Sunset Magazine, 19 Aug. 2020
  • Somebody will recognize that gleam of greatness in you and give you the next job.
    — Sean Kim, Forbes, 31 May 2021
  • Laker cut the solutions down to just six but again, gleam would have been better.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 May 2022
  • My reflection is tall, perhaps rather like an arrow, my blond hair gleams.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The scenes set in Jane’s classroom gleam with specificity and verve.
    — Joanne Kaufman, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2021
  • But here the songs are crystal clear, with the clean surfaces and spick-and-spam gleam of a factory floor.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Today, while the lobby of the old movie palace gleams in the afternoon sun, no light gets in through the roof.
    — Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 18 May 2025
  • Today, while the lobby of the old movie palace gleams in the afternoon sun, no light gets in through the roof.
    — Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The film is too laden with its own riches, a festival jewel that glares instead of gleams.
    — Richard Lawson, HWD, 9 May 2018
  • Then buff the steel with a dry cloth, wiping in the same direction as the metal's grain to bring back that gleam.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 June 2026
  • Then buff the steel with a dry cloth, wiping in the same direction as the metal's grain to bring back that gleam.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025

gleam

2 of 2 verb
  • The sun gleamed on the water.
  • His eyes were gleaming with delight.
  • May's first full moon will gleam in the sky tonight.
    — Mariyam Muhammad, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Make your wood tables gleam again.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
  • The old stone tower gleams white in the sun as the sirens rise from the street.
    — Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Daylight gleamed on the blue and green waters of the cove.
    — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • His jaw tightened as beads of sweat gleamed on his forehead.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2026
  • Antares, by contrast, will gleam as a reddish point of light.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Music blared over a gleaming dance floor.
    — Laura Gersony, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Its façade was covered with white tiles that gleamed in the morning light.
    — Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
  • For a moment, a steady future gleamed.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 19 Aug. 2025
  • The front door smelled of fresh paint, the window frames were gleaming white.
    — Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Fresh off his first-ever water fast, the whites of his eyes gleam like pearls.
    — Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 26 Apr. 2026
  • But for now, there’s Woody, bald spot gleaming in the sun, back among friends.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 23 Feb. 2026
  • But how un-Disney to have those gleaming tile walls for a set.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
  • The gleaming rototiller that promises to do the hard work for you.
    — Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
  • The 4,202-pipe organ gleamed over us.
    — Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
  • My husband's eyes were gleaming.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
  • His helmet’s gold face mask gleamed in the afternoon sun.
    — Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 8 May 2026
  • On view in the new image are storms, rings, moons and a gleaming polar ice cap.
    — Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Their hair is still glorious; their teeth gleam like satellites.
    — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2022
  • Get rid of scratched broiling pans and mismatched pots and choose a new, gleaming set.
    — Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024
  • The gems under her liner and above her lips gleamed as brightly as the studs in her ears.
    — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 3 Oct. 2023
  • Even from a boat, the gleaming white of bleached and dead corals glowed from beneath the surface.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
  • That night, the northern lights gleamed cold and hard, and the moon bathed the whole landscape in bleak, eerie light.
    — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026
  • The elegant pieces are made from rich teak and gleaming stainless steel.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 1 May 2023
  • And a gleaming smile that is as inviting as her singalongs.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Rodriguez used a knife to slice it open, revealing flesh that was bright and gleaming.
    — Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024
  • Others lingered in envy around a gleaming sports car parked out front.
    — Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
  • His circus wagon opens, and from the darkness, two yellow eyes gleam back.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gleam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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