Gleaning
//ˈɡliːnɪŋ// noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something learned by gleaning. countable
- 2 The act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. countable, uncountable
- 3 The catching of insects and other invertebrates by plucking them from within foliage, or sometimes from the ground. It may also be applied to where prey is picked off, or from within, natural and man-made surfaces such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses. countable, uncountable
- 4 Dumpster diving. informal, uncountable
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of glean form-of, gerund, participle, present
Example
More examples"In Washington, D.C., one organization is hoping the ancient practice of “gleaning” can help build a much-needed oasis for people living in those deserts."
Related phrases
More for "gleaning"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.