glit·ter

verb

/ˈɡlɪtə(r)/

/ˈɡlɪtər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they glitter	/ˈɡlɪtə(r)/ /ˈɡlɪtər/
he / she / it glitters	/ˈɡlɪtəz/ /ˈɡlɪtərz/
past simple glittered	/ˈɡlɪtəd/ /ˈɡlɪtərd/
past participle glittered	/ˈɡlɪtəd/ /ˈɡlɪtərd/
-ing form glittering	/ˈɡlɪtərɪŋ/ /ˈɡlɪtərɪŋ/

Idioms

[intransitive] to shine brightly with little flashes of light, like a diamond闪亮；闪耀；光彩夺目 synonym sparkle
- The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold.大教堂的天花板金光闪闪。
- The water glittered in the sunlight.水面在阳光下闪闪发光。
Synonyms shine
shinegleam ▪ glow ▪ sparkle ▪ glisten ▪ shimmer ▪ glitter ▪ twinkle ▪ glintThese 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.阳光灿烂，天空一片蓝。
gleam to shine with a clear bright or pale light, especially a reflected light:
Moonlight gleamed on the water.月光照在水面上泛起粼粼波光。
glow (often of something hot or warm) to produce a steady light that is not very bright:
The end of his cigarette glowed red.他的烟头发着微弱的红光。
sparkle to shine brightly with small flashes of light:
The diamonds sparkled in the light.钻石在灯光下闪闪发亮。
glisten (of something wet) to shine:
The road glistened wet after the rain.雨后的道路润泽闪亮。
shimmer to shine with a soft light that seems to shake slightly:
Everything seemed to shimmer in the heat.在高温下所有的东西都好像在闪光。
glitter to shine brightly with small flashes of reflected light:
The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold.大教堂的天花板金光闪闪。
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.星星在天空中闪烁。
glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light:
The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness.刀刃在黑暗中亮了亮。
Patterns
- to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint on something
- to shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/twinkle/glint with something
- 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
- somebody’s eyes shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/glitter/twinkle/glint
- to shine/gleam/glow/glitter brightly
- to shine/gleam/glow/shimmer softly
Extra Examples
- Crystal chandeliers glittered brightly above them.他们头顶的水晶吊灯闪闪发亮。
- His metal buttons glittered in the sunlight.他的金属钮扣在阳光下闪闪发光。
- Sunlight glittered on the snow.阳光照在雪地上闪闪发光。
- The Christmas lights glittered on the tower of St Clement's Church.圣克莱门特教堂的塔楼上闪烁着圣诞彩灯。
- Trees and grass glittered with dew.沾有露水的树木和草叶闪闪发光。
- The sky was clear and glittering with icy stars.天空晴朗，闪烁着冰冷的星星。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- brightly
preposition
- in
- with
[intransitive] glitter (with something) (of the eyes) to shine brightly with a particular emotion, usually a strong one闪现（某种强烈情感）
- His eyes glittered with greed.他眼睛里闪现出贪婪的神色。
Extra Examples
- He was watching her with glittering eyes.他正用闪闪发光的眼睛看着她。
- His deep-set eyes glittered coldly.他深陷的眼睛闪着冷酷的光。
- Her eyes glittered with delight.她眼里闪着喜悦之色。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- coldly
- dangerously
- darkly
- …
preposition
- with

Word Originlate Middle English: from Old Norse glitra.

Idioms

all that glitters/glistens/glisters is not gold

(saying) not everything that seems good, attractive, etc. is actually good, etc.闪闪发光的未必都是金子；中看未必中用

glit·ter

noun

/ˈɡlɪtə(r)/

/ˈɡlɪtər/

[uncountable] bright light consisting of many little flashes灿烂的光辉；闪烁；闪耀
- the glitter of diamonds钻石的光彩
[singular] a bright expression in somebody’s eyes showing a particular emotion（眼睛里某种感情的）闪现，流露 synonym glint
- There was a triumphant glitter in his eyes.他眼睛里闪烁着胜利的光辉。
[uncountable] the attractive, exciting qualities that somebody/something, especially a rich and famous person or place, seems to have吸引力；魅力；诱惑力 synonym glamour
- the superficial glitter of show business演艺业表面上的光彩迷人
- Behind all the glitter, life in the theatre can be very hard.在所有的光鲜亮丽的背后，剧院的生活可能非常艰难。
[uncountable] very small shiny pieces of thin metal or paper that are stuck to things as a decoration（装饰用的）小发光物
- gold/silver glitter金色的／银色的闪光装饰物
- Jane wore pink eye glitter to the party.简戴着粉红色的眼睛闪闪发光的衣服参加聚会。

Word Originlate Middle English: from Old Norse glitra.