sparkle
v.v. to shine with many small, bright flashes of light. You use this to describe things like diamonds, clean water, or stars.
v. to emit or reflect small, bright flashes of light. Often describes gemstones, reflective surfaces, or celestial bodies.
The ocean waves sparkle under the bright morning sun.
The freshly fallen snow began to sparkle as the clouds cleared and the afternoon light hit the fields.
The ballroom was filled with guests whose jewelry seemed to sparkle more intensely as the chandeliers were dimmed for the final dance of the evening.
From Middle English sparkel, sparkle, sparcle, equivalent to spark + -le (diminutive suffix). In some modern uses deverbal from etymology 2 below.
From Middle English sparklen, sperclen, equivalent to spark + -le (frequentative verb). Cognate with West Frisian sparkelje (“to sparkle”), Dutch sparkelen (“to sparkle”).
Intransitive; does not take a direct object. Often followed by the preposition 'with' when describing a source of light or emotion.