What does "glow" mean?
A state of heat and light being emitted by a hot object.
Glow
/ɡləʊ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A state of heat and light being emitted by a hot object.
- Grammar: glow is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: gleam, radiance, ablate, activity.
- Useful contrasts: darken, darkness, dim.
- Usage evidence: The glow of the light was intense.
How to use "glow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "glow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "glow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "glow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "glow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "glow" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "gleam" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "glow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state of heat and light being emitted by a hot object. countable, uncountable
"The struggling spark of good within, / Just smother'd in the strife of sin, / They quicken to a timely glow, / The pure flame spreading high and low."
- 2 an appearance of reflected light wordnet
- 3 A state of heat being emitted by a person or an animal's body. countable, uncountable
"He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again."
- 4 light from nonthermal sources wordnet
- 5 A state of light being emitted by something (for example, a bioluminescent animal or fungus, or a mineral) which is not hot; luminescence. countable, uncountable
"So if you find yourself regularly up late at night, basking in the TV's glow, you might be doing more than just depriving yourself of sleep."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a feeling of considerable warmth wordnet
- 7 A state of brightness or warmth of colour; specifically, a reddish colour on a person's face indicating health or youth; a flush. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"He had a bright red glow on his face."
- 8 the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface wordnet
- 9 A condition of being passionate or having warm feelings; an ardour. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"There's not a joy the world can give like that it takes away, / When the glow of early thought declines in feeling's dull decay; […]"
- 10 a steady even light without flames wordnet
- 11 the phenomenon of light emission by a body as its temperature is raised wordnet
- 12 an alert and refreshed state wordnet
Verb
- 1 To emit heat and light without a flame. intransitive
"Iron glows red hot when heated to near its melting point."
- 2 To look intently; to stare. dialectal, intransitive
"Borgnoyer. To vvant an eye; to looke, or ſee but vvith one eye; […] alſo, to glovv, glote, or loure."
- 3 experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion wordnet
- 4 Of a fire: to emit heat and light. intransitive
"The fire was still glowing after ten hours."
- 5 be exuberant or high-spirited wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 To emit light brightly and steadily as if heated to a high temperature; to shine. intransitive
"[N]ovv glovv'd the Firmament / VVith living Saphirs: […]"
- 7 emit a steady even light without flames wordnet
- 8 To be very hot; also, to be on fire; to burn. intransitive
"[T]he torrid Zone / Glovvs vvith the paſſing and repaſſing Sun."
- 9 have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink wordnet
- 10 Of a colour: to be bright; also, of a thing: to have a bright colour. figuratively, intransitive
"The new baby’s room glows with bright, loving colours."
- 11 shine intensely, as if with heat wordnet
- 12 Of a person: to display intense emotion. figuratively, intransitive
"The zealots glowed with religious fervor."
- 13 Of a person's body or a part of it: to feel hot and often to flush (“become suffused with a reddish colour”) as well, due to an emotional response, exertion, etc. figuratively, intransitive
"After their workout, the gymnasts’ faces were glowing."
- 14 To be involved in an (chiefly online) undercover sting operation, especially by American federal agencies. Internet, US, figuratively, intransitive
"If this post glows any brighter I'm going to need sunglasses. 😄🕶👌"
- 15 To create a threatening online post that may involve violence, and look suspicious enough to attract a police investigation. Internet, US, figuratively, intransitive
- 16 To emit (flame). archaic, obsolete, transitive
"Shall Pagan Pages glovv celeſtial Flame, / And Chriſtian, languiſh?"
- 17 To expose (someone) to the authorities. Internet, figuratively, transitive
- 18 To make (something) hot; to heat. obsolete, transitive
"On each ſide her, / Stood pretty Dimpled Boyes, like ſmiling Cupids, / VVith diuers coulour'd Fannes vvhoſe vvinde did ſeeme / To gloue the delicate cheekes vvhich they did coole, / And vvhat they vndid did."
Example
"The glow of the light was intense."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "glow"?
Common synonyms include: gleam, radiance, ablate, activity, afterglow, afterglows.
How do you use "glow" in a sentence?
The glow of the light was intense.
How do you pronounce "glow"?
Pronounced /ɡləʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The verb is derived from Middle English glouen, glowen (“to give off heat and light without flame; of a thing: to be heated until red hot; to be brightly coloured; to shine brightly; (figurative) to be filled with emotion; of the face, etc.: to turn red, flush; etc.”), and then either: * from Old English glōwan (“to glow”) (a strong verb), from Proto-West Germanic *glōan (“to glow”); or * because the Middle English and modern English words are weak verbs, possibly from Old Norse *glówa, thought to be a variant of glóa (“to glow”), also a weak verb; both from Proto-Germanic *glōaną (“to glow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰleh₁- (“to shine, glow; to be shining, glowing”). Possibly a doublet of glass. The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Dutch gloeien * Finnish loistaa * German glühen * Norwegian glo * Old Norse glóa (Danish glo, Icelandic glóa, Swedish glo) * Saterland Frisian gloie, glöie, gluuje * West Frisian gloeie
Etymology 2
From Late Middle English glouen (“to gaze, stare”); further etymology uncertain, possibly either: * from glouen, glowen (“to give off heat and light without flame; of a thing: to be heated until red hot; to be brightly coloured; to shine brightly; (figurative) to be filled with emotion; of the face, etc.: to turn red, flush; etc.”); or * from Old Norse glóa (“to shine”) (whence Norwegian Nynorsk glo (“to stare”) and Swedish glo (“to stare”)). See further at etymology 1.