glee

noun

1
: exultant high-spirited joy : merriment
dancing with glee
2
: a part-song for usually male voices

Examples of glee in a Sentence

They were dancing with glee. He could hardly contain his glee over his victory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s a sinful sort of glee in watching all of this unfold, knowing that the same mournful character might be the next one to die. David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025 Dougal is this boy turning into a man, who has so much anger in him and wants to prove himself, and there's such glee behind the eyes in the way that Sam plays this character. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 21 May 2025 Caruso potting a dunk, then head-butting the ball with glee. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 18 May 2025 The stock markets responded with glee, and by the end of the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up about 2.8%, the S&P 500 by about 3%, and the Nasdaq Composite by around 4%. Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for glee

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English glēo entertainment, music; akin to Old Norse glȳ joy, and perhaps to Greek chleuē joke

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of glee was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Glee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glee. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

glee

noun
1
: high-spirited joy
2
: an unaccompanied song for three or more voices
gleeful
-fəl
adjective
gleefully
-fə-lē
adverb
gleefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on glee

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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