gloat

1 of 2

verb

gloated; gloating; gloats

intransitive verb

1
: to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification, or delight
gloat over an enemy's misfortune
2
obsolete : to look or glance admiringly or amorously
gloater noun
gloatingly adverb

gloat

2 of 2

noun

: the act or feeling of one who gloats

Examples of gloat in a Sentence

Verb After such a tough campaign, they're gloating over their victory in the election.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Bomer isn’t one to gloat about his success or complain that Hollywood still seems to be catching up to him, however. Elaina Patton, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2024 The video obtained by WFAA shows Reed standing over his cellmate, who is on the ground apparently in pain as Reed gloats. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2024 As the tide turned in the Chiefs’ favor, and the 49ers supporters grew sullen, our crew didn’t gloat. Michael MacCambridge, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 Macchiarini himself comes to gloat in Ana’s face, adding the absolutely horrifying — but completely unsurprising — information that Yulia went through with the surgery after all. Vulture, 21 Dec. 2023 Hamas, in a statement Wednesday, gloated over Israel’s combat losses. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Fresh off playing table-table tennis on a damp Saturday in Lollapalooza’s backstage area this past July, Perry Farrell is in the mood to gloat. Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 22 Nov. 2023 As news of Nightshade broke on Monday, a few outspoken artists began publicly gloating about the potential for the new tool on social media. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 25 Oct. 2023 Rather than gloating over his rivals’ predicament, Musk likely has far more reason for wanting to stick the boot into the UAW and its top leadership. Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2023
Noun
Not bad for an offense that just a few weeks ago was thought to be searching for an identity, but Taylor didn’t gloat. Michael Niziolek, cleveland, 24 Oct. 2022 Continue reading … ‘A FLOP’ - MSNBC, CNN, ABC and more gloat over Sussmann acquittal and cast doubt on Durham probe. Fox News Staff, Fox News, 2 June 2022 But Democrats shouldn’t fear, nor Republicans gloat, that this means the end of the Biden agenda. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 7 June 2021 The person who finds the pickle gets to open the first present, and gloat about it until the next year. Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 16 Nov. 2020 Having just won his boss a stonking 87-seat majority, Mr Cummings may have been unable to resist a little gloat. The Economist, 18 Jan. 2020 That vacation gloat so many of us succumb to on social media has trickled upward, as the president made a sort-of joke about how a little global warming might actually be appreciated for those Americans enduring the cold temperatures. Kaitlin Menza, Esquire, 29 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gloat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

akin to Middle English glouten to scowl and perhaps to Old Norse glotta to grin scornfully

First Known Use

Verb

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gloat was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near gloat

Cite this Entry

“Gloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gloat. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gloat

verb
ˈglōt
: to gaze at or think about something with great satisfaction or joy
gloating over their enemy's loss
gloater noun

More from Merriam-Webster on gloat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!