glean details

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "glean details" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to the act of gathering or extracting information from a source, often in a careful or thorough manner. Example: "After reviewing the report, I was able to glean details about the project's progress and challenges."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

From the 150 images in the volume, which was edited by Phoebe Adler, Tom Howells and Duncan McCorquodale, a reader can glean details about history, topography, development, mass transit and even which neighborhoods send the most people to city jails.

The New York Times

By then, however, family members had begun posting flyers all over the city, and it was possible to call the telephone numbers on the flyers and glean details about the lives of a few hundred among the thousands of individuals who had disappeared.

The New Yorker

By examining bubbles of air trapped in compacted snow, it is possible for researchers to glean details about past environmental conditions, including temperature and the concentration of gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide.

BBC

Although they were able to obtain information about the range and number of speakers for more than 90% of the world's estimated 6909 languages, they could only glean details about the rate of decline or growth for 9%, or 649, of those languages, Amano notes.

Science Magazine

A research team from Japan and Russia analyzed fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite to glean details about its history.

Los Angeles Times

Spearphishers sometimes scan social media sites, such as Facebook, to glean details about users' friends in order to make their messages look more legitimate.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Coster-Mullen's techniques for assessing the size and nature of objects depicted in photographs are familiar to photo editors, intelligence analysts, and others whose job is to glean detailed information from images, but they were new to the community of civilian atomic researchers.

The New Yorker

The bad news: Outside of that passing mention of "LTE" in the second item, there wasn't much of anything to glean, detail-wise.

TechCrunch

Dogs, the scientists conclude from this first study of pet dogs barking in their natural environment (their owners' homes), do indeed pay attention to and glean detailed information from their fellows' barks.

Science Magazine

By painstakingly accompanying real users through real usage situations, marketers can glean detailed, real-life information.

Huffington Post

Hollywood is enamored with advance ticket sales, in part because they enable theater chains to glean detailed data about their customers' tastes and moviegoing habits so that they can better program their schedules to meet consumer demand.

Los Angeles Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "glean details" when you want to emphasize a careful and diligent effort to gather information, especially from a less obvious or easily accessible source.

Common error

Avoid using "glean details" when the information is readily available. Opt for simpler terms like "find" or "get" if the process doesn't involve a significant effort of extraction.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "glean details" functions as a verb phrase where "glean" (verb) takes "details" (noun) as its object. It indicates the action of carefully extracting or gathering specific pieces of information.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

25%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "glean details" is a grammatically sound and usable expression, as affirmed by Ludwig. It is most commonly found in News & Media, Science, and Wiki contexts, indicating its utility in describing careful information gathering. While not exceedingly common, its usage is appropriate when emphasizing the deliberate extraction of specific information, as opposed to simply finding or receiving it. Related phrases such as "gather details" and "extract details" offer similar but nuanced alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

gather details

Similar to 'collect', but can also refer to assembling information from a variety of places over time.

collect details

Focuses on the act of gathering information together, often from multiple sources.

extract details

Implies a more deliberate and focused effort to remove specific information from a larger body of text.

compile details

Highlights the process of assembling information in an organized way.

obtain details

A formal way to describe getting hold of particular facts.

learn details

Emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge about the specifics of something.

capture details

Emphasizes recording or noting information accurately and completely.

elicit details

Suggests drawing information out from someone or something, often through questioning.

collate details

Similar to compile, but with a greater emphasis on arranging and comparing the information.

retrieve details

Focuses on getting back specific pieces of information that were previously stored.

FAQs

How can I use "glean details" in a sentence?

You can use "glean details" when you want to describe gathering information carefully or thoroughly from a specific source. For example: "Researchers were able to "glean details" about the comet's composition by analyzing its light spectrum."

What can I say instead of "glean details"?

You can use alternatives like "gather details", "extract details", or "collect details" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "glean details" or "glean the details"?

"Glean details" is generally preferred, but "glean the details" is also acceptable, especially when referring to specific details that are already known or have been mentioned. The choice depends on the specific context and desired emphasis.

What is the difference between "glean details" and "gather information"?

"Glean details" suggests a more careful and diligent effort to extract specific information, often from a less obvious source. "Gather information" is more general and can refer to collecting information from various sources without the same emphasis on careful extraction.