sparkle

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++spar·kle1 /ˈspɑːkəl $ ˈspɑːr-/ verb [intransitive] 1 SHINEto shine in small bright flashes 闪闪发光，闪耀，闪烁 → sparkling The sea sparkled in the sun. 阳光下大海碧波闪耀。 The crystal chandelier sparkled. 那水晶枝形吊灯闪闪发光。► see thesaurus at shine2 SHINEif someone’s eyes sparkle, they seem to shine brightly, especially because the person is happy or excited 〔眼睛〕发亮，闪耀〔尤因快乐或兴奋〕 → sparklingsparkle with Ron’s eyes sparkled with excitement. 罗恩的眼睛里闪烁着激动的光芒。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

sparkle• He remained keen on jiving and would throw himself all over the place, hair wild and eyes sparkling.• Mars and Venus this weekend means your love life will start to sparkle.• Dwayne's eyes sparkled as he laughed.• When the sun came up, the snow sparkled as if it were studded with millions of diamonds.• She wore a diamond necklace, which sparkled in the light of the fire.• A long sliver of light fell across Senga's bed, sparkling off lustrous black hair.• April sunlight sparkled over the water, dancing across snow-covered fields.• The place sparkled with cleanliness, and the women sat clustered in the kitchen, exhausted, I suppose.• The place sparkled with cleanliness.• Mosaic murals sparkling with Venetian glass tiles.sparkle with• Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and anticipation.• Mosaic murals sparkling with Venetian glass tiles.sparkle2 noun [countable, uncountable] 1 SHINYa bright shiny appearance, with small points of flashing light 闪耀，闪光 the sparkle of the diamonds 钻石的光芒2 INTERESTINGa quality that makes something or someone seem interesting and full of life 生气，活力 the sparkle and zest of a live performance 现场表演的活力和狂热3 if someone has a sparkle in their eyes, their eyes seem to shine, and you can see a feeling in them, especially happiness or excitement 〔眼睛里的〕闪光，光芒 There was a sparkle of fun in her brown eyes. 她那棕色的眼睛里闪烁着一丝顽皮的神情。

Examples from the Corpus

sparkle• But there is a sparkle of gentle morning sun, and slowly my optimism unfurls.• It's a kind of sparkle, and it would be such a shame to extinguish it with duty.• The movie has plenty of sparkle.• His verses, winged with a powerful beat, achieved Parnassian sparkle and exuberance.• The news gave the one time glamour shares a temporary sparkle, rising 25p to 925p before slipping back to 845p.• But... there was severe fighting even after dark, and the sparkle of musketry made a fine display.• The expression in her eyes, her satisfaction in her wit masked by their sparkle, could mean almost anything.• This gives it a whitish sparkle as light catches millions of tiny prisms and reflects white light.Origin sparkle1 (1100-1200) spark

spar·kle1 verbsparkle2 nounChineseSyllable

flashes bright Corpus to shine in small

sparkle

spar‧kle¹ /ˈspɑːkəl $ ˈspɑːr-/

verb [intransitive]

Date: 1100-1200
Origin: spark

1. to shine in small bright flashes ⇨ sparkling:

The sea sparkled in the sun.

The crystal chandelier sparkled.
2. if someone’s eyes sparkle, they seem to shine brightly, especially because the person is happy or excited ⇨ sparkling
sparkle with

Ron’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

THESAURUS

■ to shine by reflecting light
   ▪ sparkle/glitter if something sparkles, it shines with many small bright points when light is on it: The sea sparkled in the sunlight. | Jewels glittered around her neck.
   ▪ gleam to shine by reflecting the light – used especially about smooth clean surfaces, or about someone’s eyes or teeth: The sword’s blade gleamed. | a gleaming sports car | His blue eyes gleamed with amusement.
   ▪ glint to shine with quick flashes of light: The knife glinted in the sunlight.
   ▪ glisten literary to shine – used about wet or oily surfaces. Used especially when saying that someone’s eyes are full of tears, or someone’s skin is covered in sweat: As they were leaving, her eyes glistened with tears. | His forehead was glistening with sweat. | The wet chairs glistened in the afternoon sun.
   ▪ catch the light if something catches the light, it shines because it is reflecting light: Her diamond ring caught the light.

sparkle²

noun [uncountable and countable]
1. a bright shiny appearance, with small points of flashing light:

the sparkle of the diamonds
2. a quality that makes something or someone seem interesting and full of life:

the sparkle and zest of a live performance
3. if someone has a sparkle in their eyes, their eyes seem to shine, and you can see a feeling in them, especially happiness or excitement:

There was a sparkle of fun in her brown eyes.

verb,

noun

spar·kle

BrE

/ˈspɑːkl/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈspɑːrkl/

🔊

verb

present simple - I / you / we / they

sparkle

BrE

/ˈspɑːkl/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈspɑːrkl/

🔊

present simple - he / she / it

sparkles

BrE

/ˈspɑːklz/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈspɑːrklz/

🔊

past simple

sparkled

BrE

/ˈspɑːkld/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈspɑːrkld/

🔊

past participle

sparkled

BrE

/ˈspɑːkld/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈspɑːrkld/

🔊

-ing form

sparkling

BrE

/ˈspɑːklɪŋ/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈspɑːrklɪŋ/

🔊

[intransitive]

~ (with sth)

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。

🔊

<titled tranID="29" status="1">shine</titled>gleam ◇ glow ◇ sparkle ◇ glisten ◇ shimmer ◇ glitter ◇ twinkle ◇ glint

These words all mean to produce or reflect light. 以上各词均含发光、反光之义。

shine to produce or reflect light, especially brightly 指发光、反光、照耀：◆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 指闪烁、隐约闪光、微光反射：◆Moonlight gleamed on the water. 月光照在水面上泛起粼粼波光。
glow (often of sth hot or warm) to produce a dull steady light 常指热的物体发出微弱而稳定的光：◆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 指闪烁、闪耀：◆The diamonds sparkled in the light. 钻石在灯光下闪闪发亮。
glisten (of sth wet) to shine 指湿物闪光、闪亮：◆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 指发出微弱的闪光、闪烁：◆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 指闪亮、闪耀：◆The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold. 大教堂的天花板金光闪闪。

sparkle or glitter? 用 sparkle 还是 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. 以上两词在意义上几乎没有差别。glitter 有时暗指缺乏深度，但这较常在 glitter 作名词时作比喻义时用：◆the superficial glitter of show business 表面上光彩迷人的演艺业 Sparkle is also often used to talk about light reflected off a surface, but things that produce light can also sparkle. * sparkle 亦常用以指物体表面反光，但物体发出亮光也可用 sparkle：◆Stars sparkled in the sky. 星星在天空中闪烁。

twinkle to shine with a light that changes rapidly from bright to faint to bright again 指一明一暗地闪耀、闪烁：◆Stars twinkled in the sky. 星星在天空中闪烁。
glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light 指微微闪光、闪亮、反光：◆The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness. 刀刃在黑暗中亮了亮。