glean

[ gleen ]
See synonyms for glean on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.

  2. to gather small amounts of (grain or the like) left behind after a harvest, nowadays often for charitable use.

  1. 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.

  2. to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.

verb (used without object)
  1. to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly.

  2. to gather what is left by reapers.

Origin of glean

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English glenen, from Old French glener, from Late Latin glennāre, ultimately from Celtic

Other 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

  • This is all I have been able to glean with regard to Peter Ilichs musical development at this period of his life.

  • From 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 Glazier
  • Also, was he fencing for such additional information as he might glean, and for this purpose had he come.

    Under the Rose | Frederic Stewart Isham
  • They 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) Reed
  • That 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

glean

/ (ɡliːn) /


verb
  1. to gather (something) slowly and carefully in small pieces: to glean information from the newspapers

  2. to gather (the useful remnants of a crop) from the field after harvesting

Origin of glean

1
C14: from Old French glener, from Late Latin glennāre, probably of Celtic origin

Derived 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