glide

verb

\ ˈglīd

glided; gliding

Definition of glide

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to move smoothly, continuously, and effortlessly swans gliding over the lake

2 : to go or pass imperceptibly hours glided by

3a of an airplane : to descend gradually in controlled flight

b : to fly in a glider

4 : to produce a glide (as in music or speech)

transitive verb

: to cause to glide

glide

noun

Definition of glide (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a calm stretch of shallow water flowing smoothly

2 : the act or action of gliding

3 : portamento

4a : a less prominent vowel sound produced by the passing of the vocal organs to or from the articulatory position of a speech sound — compare diphthong

b : semivowel

5 : a device for facilitating movement of something especially : a circular usually metal button attached to the bottom of furniture legs to provide a smooth surface

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about glide

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Synonyms & Antonyms for glide

Synonyms: Verb

bowl, breeze, brush, coast, cruise, drift, flow, roll, sail, skim, slide, slip, stream, sweep, whisk

Antonyms: Verb

flounder, struggle

Examples of glide in a Sentence

Verb

The swans glided over the surface of the lake. We watched the skiers glide down the slope. The pilot glided to a safe landing after the engine failed. The pilot glided the plane to a safe landing.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And the ice layers that skates glide on are microscopically thin. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "The surprising science of why ice is so slippery," 31 Jan. 2019 At very high altitudes still within Earth’s atmosphere, the weapons angle downward, gliding at speeds in excess of Mach 5 towards their targets. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "China: Our Hypersonic Missiles Can Sink U.S. Aircraft Carriers," 23 Jan. 2019 By the book, Abloh’s show was dedicated to the boys—but the standout moment came when top model Soo Joo Park glided down the runway wearing a shiny plastic football helmet and billowy white gown with a dramatic pleated train. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "How This Model Took Off-White’s Runway Makeup Straight to the Streets," 16 Jan. 2019 Almost 250,000 service and support animals are carried by Delta annually, and customers have tried flying with everything from comfort turkeys and gliding possums to snakes and spiders, according to the airline. — Jonathan Sperling, Fortune, "New Delta Air Lines Policy Bars Customers From Flying With Pit Bulls as Emotional Support Animals," 21 June 2018 My makeup has never glided on so well—or stayed on all day. — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, "This $85 Face Scrub Completely Transformed My Skin," 7 Jan. 2019 Any gliding into the postseason by Seattle, with a chance to heal up, will have to wait. — Larry Stone, The Seattle Times, "The Seahawks missed an opportunity against the 49ers. But all is not lost … yet," 18 Dec. 2018 There is evidence that some of the creatures could glide like flying squirrels and others could swim. — Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, "Big Discovery in a Tiny Mammal-Like Skull Found Under a Dinosaur’s Foot," 23 May 2018 The trio is interrupted by Monty’s manic calculations involving next moves, set to music that glitters and glides; it’s more Mozart than Gilbert and Sullivan. — Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Monty Python fans may love'Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'," 2 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This could take the form of capsules fixed with flight control surfaces for precision glides or steerable parachutes for more pinpoint landings. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Is Actually Considering Rocket Launches to Move Cargo Around the Globe," 29 Oct. 2018 Photos courtesy of Caravan Outfitter The slide-and-glide system allows all of the components to be installed or removed in about two minutes. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Modular camper van sleeps two and hauls gear, asks $37K," 22 Oct. 2018 And so the trip went, a dizzying glide of flavors and destinations, the city passing by in a blur out the windows of a minivan that had been procured for our passage from one groaning table loaded with goodies to the next. — Mark Rozzo, Town & Country, "Hong Kong Foodie," 1 Nov. 2012 In glide bombing, the angle of descent is more gradual than in dive bombing and the ascent much sharper. — Popular Mechanics, "How the D-Day Invasion Was Planned," 6 June 2017 Russia's Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is expected to enter service in 2020. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Air Force Is Pushing for a Hypersonic Strike Weapon," 11 June 2018 Now all that was left was a dubious glide ratio and the promise of an open field. — Caroline Paul, Outside Online, "Caroline Paul on Her First Emergency Landing," 11 July 2018 With chests in a puffed up in a Superman display of confidence, a handful of greater sage-grouse glide across the lek, periodically punching the sky with a high-pitched hiccup. — Story Hinckley, The Christian Science Monitor, "Group effort rules the roost in Wyoming, then Washington intervenes," 10 July 2018 So far, Virgin Galactic has done two powered flights of the VSS Unity, as well as numerous glide flights, to ensure the vehicle is ready to carry people. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Virgin Galactic plans to launch customers to space from a future Italian spaceport," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.