spar·kle

verb

/ˈspɑːkl/

/ˈspɑːrkl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they sparkle	/ˈspɑːkl/ /ˈspɑːrkl/
he / she / it sparkles	/ˈspɑːklz/ /ˈspɑːrklz/
past simple sparkled	/ˈspɑːkld/ /ˈspɑːrkld/
past participle sparkled	/ˈspɑːkld/ /ˈspɑːrkld/
-ing form sparkling	/ˈspɑːklɪŋ/ /ˈspɑːrklɪŋ/

[intransitive] sparkle (with something) to shine brightly with small flashes of light闪烁；闪耀
- sparkling eyes炯炯有神的眼睛
- Her jewellery sparkled in the candlelight.烛光下，她的首饰光彩熠熠。
- The sky sparkled with brilliant stars.天空闪烁着灿烂的星星。
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
- Her eyes sparkled with excitement.她眼里闪耀着激动的光芒。
- The grass was sparkling with frost.草地上结满了霜，闪闪发光。
- The river sparkled in the sunlight.河水在阳光下闪烁。
[intransitive] sparkle (with something) to be full of life, enthusiasm or humour生气勃勃；热情奔放；神采飞扬
- He always sparkles at parties.在各种聚会上，他总是光芒四射。
- She sparkled with cheerfulness and good humour.她充满了快乐和幽默。
Topics Personal qualitiesc2

Word OriginMiddle English: frequentative (verb) or diminutive (noun) of spark.

spar·kle

noun

/ˈspɑːkl/

/ˈspɑːrkl/

[countable, uncountable]

a series of flashes of light produced by light hitting a shiny surface闪烁（或闪耀）的光
- the sparkle of glass玻璃闪耀的亮光
- the sparkles of light on water水面上的闪光
- The sky went dark and the sea lost its sparkle.天色暗了下来，大海也失去了光芒。
- (figurative) There was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.她眼里闪耀着激动的光芒。
the quality of being lively and original生动新颖；亮点
- The performance lacked sparkle.这场演出缺少亮点。
- Do something to add a sparkle to your life!做一些事情，为你的生活增添光彩！
Extra Examples
- She has lost none of her old sparkle as a jazz singer.作为爵士乐歌手，她丰采依旧。
- Do something to add a sparkle to your life.做一些事情，为你的生活增添光彩。
Topics Personal qualitiesc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- extra
- a little
- old
- …
verb + sparkle
- have
- lack
- lose
- …
phrases
- a sparkle in somebody’s eyes

Word OriginMiddle English: frequentative (verb) or diminutive (noun) of spark.