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 [producer] Jerry Wexler’s limo glides up along the street, and the window comes down. — Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, "Aretha: Her story was in her songs," 19 June 2019 The dance floor inside the Music Center flowed with bodies swinging their hips, bronzed arms gliding, feet shuffling across the floor. — Dorany Pineda, latimes.com, "The Chulita Vinyl Club is curbing cultural erasure one spinning record at a time," 15 June 2019 The women glided in flowy kaftans and romantic slips while handsome men appeared in white linens. — Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, "The New York Botanical Garden Celebrates its Roberto Burle Marx Show With a Jungly Garden Party," 12 June 2019 One of the figures is swimming underwater, gliding, unreachable. — Deborah Solomon, New York Times, "Seeking the Real David Hockney Through Fact and Fiction," 11 June 2019 In general, jade facial tools can be glided on bare, dry skin, or after application of a leave-on skincare product like a serum or moisturizer to help with product absorption. — April Franzino, Good Housekeeping, "Do Jade Rollers Actually Work? Here's the Truth," 20 May 2019 Charlotte Tilbury's lipstick glided on with a cashmere softness on the first try. — Glamour, "I’m Wearing Only Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Lipstick From Now On," 12 Mar. 2019 Leslie herself was gliding around like an ice skater doing figure eights, making sure everyone had something to drink and someone to talk to. — Lucinda Rosenfeld, Harper's magazine, "First Daughters," 10 Feb. 2019 One of my favorite things to do is glide over to the other team’s base, sneak into an unmanned turret, and completely obliterate all of my surroundings. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "Fortnite’s frantic food fight is its best mode yet," 15 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Aside from this beguiling balloon-like feature, the frigatebird’s glide gives it away. — National Geographic, "EXPLORE THE WORLD WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC," 1 Mar. 2019 Their comic-relief sidekicks are along for the glide, too, as the show skates into the BMO Harris Bradley Center, 1001 N. 4th St., this weekend. — Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "What to do in Milwaukee this weekend: Ice princesses, road trips and the world of the Maya," 8 Feb. 2018 On Game of Thrones, dragon riding consists of mostly gentle glides and loops. — William Gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: Could a Person Ride a Dragon?," 15 Apr. 2019 The majority of mascara formulas often rely on beeswax, which helps with glide and shine. — Glamour, "5 Women Try Kat Von D’s New Vegan Mascara," 19 Apr. 2019 The brand claims it’s waterproof and lasts 24 hours, and has an-easy glide formula and tip. — Glamour, "Too Faced's New Better Than Sex Eyeliner Lives Up to the Name," 3 Apr. 2019 Under the boost-glide concept, the missile stops short of delivering its payload into space, instead aiming the warhead into a depressed trajectory. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Putin’s New Missiles Are Having Decidedly Mixed Success," 25 Mar. 2019 The boost glide weapon then glides through the atmosphere on a relatively flat trajectory, avoiding U.S. missile defenses such as the Ground Based Interceptor. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Putin’s New Missiles Are Having Decidedly Mixed Success," 25 Mar. 2019 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

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.