glean
to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.
to gather small amounts of (grain or the like) left behind after a harvest, nowadays often for charitable use.
to clear (a field, orchard, etc.) of leftover produce in this way: Millet’s painting The Gleaners depicts three peasant women stooping low as they glean a field of wheat.
to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.
to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly.
to gather what is left by reapers.
Origin of glean
1Other words for glean
Other words from glean
- glean·a·ble, adjective
- glean·er, noun
Words Nearby glean
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use glean in a sentence
By presenting the data in a unified fashion, it makes it easier to glean insights.
The Best Quantified Self Site You Haven’t Heard Of | Jamie Todd Rubin | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd you might be able to glean some advance knowledge of new product launches or marketing campaigns.
McDonald’s Ditches Heinz To Keep Burger King Out of Its Business | Daniel Gross | October 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut there are still many valuable insights that modern politicians can glean from his example.
Lincoln the Primitive Communicator? What He Can Teach Modern Politicians | Douglas L. Wilson | December 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST“They wanted to glean good ideas and figured their opponent the CIA was doing it, so they had to do it too,” Grady said.
The Novelist Who Spied: How Dennis Wheatley Helped Defeat the Nazis | Tina Rosenberg | August 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTI also reread writers I admire, and try to glean a phrase or thought that will get me going.
Inside the NYT Book Review: ‘How I Write’ Interviews Sam Tanenhaus | Noah Charney | August 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
This is all I have been able to glean with regard to Peter Ilichs musical development at this period of his life.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste TchaikovskyFrom the little we can glean of them, the ancient inhabitants of the village must have been a grim old race.
Ocean to Ocean on Horseback | Willard GlazierAlso, was he fencing for such additional information as he might glean, and for this purpose had he come.
Under the Rose | Frederic Stewart IshamThey also glean part of their living from the underside of the foliage much as do the Vireos.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies | Chester A. (Chester Albert) ReedThat Mrs. Matilda Knowles, our beau ideal missionary, possessed a thankful heart, we glean from her diary.
Gathering Jewels | James Knowles and Matilda Darroch Knowles
British Dictionary definitions for glean
/ (ɡliːn) /
to gather (something) slowly and carefully in small pieces: to glean information from the newspapers
to gather (the useful remnants of a crop) from the field after harvesting
Origin of glean
1Derived forms of glean
- gleanable, adjective
- gleaner, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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