glide

verb \ ˈglīd \

Definition of glide

glided; gliding

intransitive verb

1 :to move smoothly, continuously, and effortlessly

swans gliding over the lake

2 :to go or pass imperceptibly

hours glided by

3 a 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

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Examples of glide in a Sentence

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 of glide from the Web

On a recent Saturday, tucked away off Pope Lick Road on 12-and-a-half acres, skateboarders glided on and off a 44-foot wide plywood half-pipe for Farm Party, an invitation-only summer skate and music shin-dig.

— matt stone, The Courier-Journal, "Farm Party: An invite-only shin-dig where skateboarding, music and friends collide," 18 Aug. 2017
All of the parks also offer the flight freedom to glide along zip lines through a forest terrain.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "NWI's first aerial park reaches new heights," 11 Aug. 2017
Tuxedoed waiters glided skillfully between guests and tables to deliver appetizers and drinks.

— Cincinnati.com, "Food fight at ‘The Coach and Six’," 2 Aug. 2017
In the first months of the Trump administration, Mike Pence appears to have performed a miraculous balancing act: pledging loyalty to his boss while gliding away from incessant scandal and turbulence, hair unruffled, a confident smile on his face.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Mike Pence’s Master Plan Goes Up in Smoke," 20 July 2017
And his voice glides suavely through arrangements of Cyndi Lauper’s gleaming power ballads that show off his arresting upper register.

— ben brantley and jesse green, New York Times, "When You Switch Up on a (Broadway) Star," 12 July 2017
Beginning with its gliding, ominous opening shot of soldiers snaking through a forest, War sports a modest but confident style throughout.

— vanityfair.com, "War for the Planet of the Apes," 12 July 2017
Beginning with its gliding, ominous opening shot of soldiers snaking through a forest, War sports a modest but confident style throughout.

— richard lawson, HWD, "War for the Planet of the Apes Concludes the Best Trilogy No One Is Talking About," 12 July 2017
Install a Rev-a-Shelf container ($36 for the 20-quart size, amazon.com), which puts a simple plastic trash can on a gliding track for easy access.

— lindsey m. roberts, chicagotribune.com, "The best trash cans, according to experts," 5 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of glide

Middle English, from Old English glīdan; akin to Old High German glītan to glide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

glide Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

flounder, struggle

Related Words

fly, race, rush, speed

Near Antonyms

limp, lumber, plod, stumble, trudge; shamble, shuffle; stamp, stomp, stump, tramp; labor, toil

glide

noun

Definition of glide

1 :a calm stretch of shallow water flowing smoothly

2 :the act or action of gliding

3 :portamento

4 a :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