Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Word of the Day

Blog: Words at Play

Dictionary

gloam

noun \ˈglōm\

Definition of GLOAM

archaic

ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of GLOAM

Scots gloam to become twilight, back-formation from gloaming

First Known Use: circa 1821

Rhymes with GLOAM

chrome, comb, combe, dome, foam, gnome, home, loam, mome, nome, ohm, om, pome, roam, Rom, Rome, tome

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: gloamingPrevious Word in the Dictionary: glitz All Words Near: gloam

ADVERTISEMENT

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up gloam? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

View Seen & Heard Highlights from Around the Site

Test Your Vocabulary!

10 Charming Words for Nasty People

Put-downs with flair

When "Literally" isn't, well, literal

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Know what this is?

Test your vocab with our fun, fast game

Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears

Join Us

Merriam-Webster
on Facebook

Merriam-Webster
on Twitter

Bookstore: Digital and Print

Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.

See All

Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

© Merriam-Webster, Incorporated