From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsparklespar‧kle1 /ˈspɑːkəl $ ˈspɑːr-/ ●●○ verb [intransitive] 1 SHINEto shine in small bright flashes → sparkling The sea sparkled in the sun. The crystal chandelier sparkled.► see thesaurus at shine2 SHINEif someone’s eyes sparkle, they seem to shine brightly, especially because the person is happy or excited → sparklingsparkle with Ron’s eyes sparkled with excitement.→ 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.sparklesparkle2 noun [countable, uncountable] 1 SHINYa bright shiny appearance, with small points of flashing light the sparkle of the diamonds2 INTERESTINGa quality that makes something or someone seem interesting and full of life the sparkle and zest of a live performance3 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.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 