Gleam vs. Shine — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Gleam and Shine
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Compare with Definitions
Gleam
A brief beam or flash of light
Saw gleams of daylight through the cracks.
Shine
(of the sun or another source of light) give out a bright light
The sun shone through the window
Gleam
A steady but subdued shining; a glow
The gleam of burnished gold.
Shine
Be very talented or perform very well
A boy who shone at nothing
Gleam
A brief or dim indication; a trace
A gleam of intelligence.
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Shine
Make (an object made of leather, metal, or wood) bright by rubbing it; polish
His shoes were shined to perfection
Gleam
To emit a gleam; flash or glow
"Their tile roofs gleamed in the moon's pallid radiance" (Laura Joh Rowland).
Shine
A quality of brightness produced when light is reflected on something
My hair has lost its shine
Gleam
To be reflected as a gleam
The sun gleamed on the water.
Shine
To emit light.
Gleam
To be manifested or indicated briefly or faintly.
Shine
To reflect light; glint or glisten.
Gleam
(countable) An appearance of light, especially one which is indistinct or small, or short-lived.
Shine
To distinguish oneself in an activity or a field; excel.
Gleam
An indistinct sign of something; a glimpse or hint.
The rescue workers preserved a gleam of optimism that the trapped miners might still survive.
Shine
To be immediately apparent
Delight shone in her eyes.
Gleam
A bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something.
Shine
To aim or cast the beam or glow of (a light).
Gleam
A look of joy or liveliness on one's face.
Shine
Past tense and past participle shined To make glossy or bright by polishing.
Gleam
(obsolete)
Shine
Brightness from a source of light; radiance.
Gleam
(countable) Sometimes as hot gleam: a warm ray of sunlight; also, a period of warm weather, for instance, between showers of rain.
Shine
Brightness from reflected light; luster.
Gleam
(uncountable) Brightness or shininess; radiance, splendour.
Shine
A shoeshine.
Gleam
(transitive) Chiefly in conjunction with an adverb: to cause (light) to shine.
Shine
Excellence in quality or appearance; splendor.
Gleam
(intransitive)
Shine
Fair weather
Rain or shine.
Gleam
To shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner; to glisten, to glitter.
Shine
Shines(Informal) Pranks or tricks.
Gleam
(figuratively) To be strongly but briefly apparent.
Shine
(Slang) Whiskey; moonshine.
Gleam
Of a hawk or other bird of prey: to disgorge filth from its crop or gorge.
Shine
Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a black person.
Gleam
To disgorge filth, as a hawk.
Shine
To emit or reflect light so as to glow.
Gleam
To shoot, or dart, as rays of light; as, at the dawn, light gleams in the east.
Shine
To reflect light.
Gleam
To shine; to cast light; to glitter.
Shine
To distinguish oneself; to excel.
My nephew tried other sports before deciding on football, which he shone at right away, quickly becoming the star of his school team.
Gleam
To shoot out (flashes of light, etc.).
Dying eyes gleamed forth their ashy lights.
Shine
To be effulgent in splendour or beauty.
Gleam
A shoot of light; a small stream of light; a beam; a ray; a glimpse.
Transient unexpected gleams of joi.
At last a gleamOf dawning light turned thitherward in hasteHis [Satan's] traveled steps.
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light.
Shine
To be eminent, conspicuous, or distinguished; to exhibit brilliant intellectual powers.
Gleam
Brightness; splendor.
In the clear azure gleam the flocks are seen.
Shine
To be immediately apparent.
Gleam
An appearance of reflected light
Shine
(transitive) To create light with (a flashlight, lamp, torch, or similar).
I shone my light into the darkness to see what was making the noise.
Gleam
A flash of light (especially reflected light)
Shine
(transitive) To cause to shine, as a light or by reflected light.
In hunting, to shine the eyes of a deer at night by throwing a light on them
Gleam
Be shiny, as if wet;
His eyes were glistening
Shine
(transitive) To cause (something) to shine; put a shine on (something); polish (something).
He shined my shoes until they were polished smooth and gleaming.
Gleam
Shine brightly, like a star or a light
Shine
To polish a cricket ball using saliva and one’s clothing.
Gleam
Appear briefly;
A terrible thought gleamed in her mind
Shine
Brightness from a source of light.
Shine
Brightness from reflected light.
Shine
Excellence in quality or appearance; splendour.
Shine
Shoeshine.
Shine
Sunshine.
Shine
(slang) Moonshine; illicitly brewed alcoholic drink.
Shine
(cricket) The amount of shininess on a cricket ball, or on each side of the ball.
Shine
(slang) A liking for a person; a fancy.
She's certainly taken a shine to you.
Shine
A caper; an antic; a row.
Shine
To emit rays of light; to give light; to beam with steady radiance; to exhibit brightness or splendor; as, the sun shines by day; the moon shines by night.
Hyperion's quickening fire doth shine.
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Cghrist.
Let thine eyes shine forth in their full luster.
Shine
To be bright by reflection of light; to gleam; to be glossy; as, to shine like polished silver.
Shine
To be effulgent in splendor or beauty.
Once brightest shined this child of heat and air.
Shine
To be eminent, conspicuous, or distinguished; to exhibit brilliant intellectual powers; as, to shine in courts; to shine in conversation.
Few are qualified to shine in company; but it in most men's power to be agreeable.
Shine
To cause to shine, as a light.
He [God] doth not rain wealth, nor shine honor and virtues, upon men equally.
Shine
To make bright; to cause to shine by reflected light; as, in hunting, to shine the eyes of a deer at night by throwing a light on them.
Shine
The quality or state of shining; brightness; luster, gloss; polish; sheen.
Now sits not girt with taper's holy shine.
Fair opening to some court's propitious shine.
The distant shine of the celestial city.
Shine
Sunshine; fair weather.
Be it fair or foul, or rain or shine.
Shine
A liking for a person; a fancy.
Shine
Caper; antic; row.
Shine
Shining; sheen.
Shine
The quality of being bright and sending out rays of light
Shine
Be bright by reflecting or casting light;
Drive carefully--the wet road reflects
Shine
Emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light;
The sun shone bright that day
The fire beamed on their faces
Shine
Be shiny, as if wet;
His eyes were glistening
Shine
Be distinguished or eminent;
His talent shines
Shine
Be clear and obvious;
A shining example
Shine
Especially of the complexion: show a strong bright color, such as red or pink;
Her face glowed when she came out of the sauna
Shine
Throw or flash the light of (a lamp, etc.);
Shine the light on that window, please
Shine
Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly;
Light fell on her face
The sun shone on the fields
The light struck the golden necklace
A strange sound struck my ears
Shine
Experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion;
She was beaming with joy
Her face radiated with happiness
Shine
(of surfaces) make shine;
Shine the silver, please
Polish my shoes
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