gloat

verb \ ˈglōt \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of gloat

intransitive verb

1 obsolete : to look or glance admiringly or amorously

2 : to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification, or delight

gloat over an enemy's misfortune

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gloater

noun

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gloatingly

adverb

See gloat defined for English-language learners

See gloat defined for kids

Examples of gloat in a Sentence

After such a tough campaign, they're gloating over their victory in the election.

Recent Examples of gloat from the Web

And then the Ravens gloat about their draft picks but none go on to become impact players.

— mike preston, baltimoresun.com, "Mike Preston: Ravens' Flacco takes the right stance in quarterback debate," 7 May 2018
Her shudder was also a show of contempt for all those Chicago wimps who’d recently been to Florida, or San Diego, or Arizona and spent their time gloating about it on Facebook.

— mary schmich, chicagotribune.com, "Once again, Detective April Hope goes in search of Chicago's spring," 17 Apr. 2018
This is especially true when a boastful nation, while neglecting them, gloats over its wealth, power and world pre-eminence.

— martin luther king jr., The Atlantic, "The Crisis in America’s Cities," 31 Mar. 2018
Imagine snow falling outside, a wind like there is in the Tube, an atmosphere of yellow grains of dust, and us all gloating upon these apples....

— jason zweig, WSJ, "When Keynes Played Art Buyer," 30 Mar. 2018
Johnson and Ladd won the drive to Silver Lake by more than a half-hour, cool and comfortable, texting out a gloating pic of a sweaty beer pitcher while the rest of the field plodded across the state in sweltering August heat.

— Car and Driver, "The Battle of the Off-Road Beaters: Ford F-150 Custom vs. Geo Tracker, Jeep Cherokee, Land Rover Discovery," 30 Nov. 2016
The story of the raid is nothing to gloat about, Yaakov Amidror, Israel's former national security advisor and a retired major general, lamented on Israel's Army Radio.

— noga tarnopolsky, latimes.com, "Israel's disclosure that it struck a Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 ignites a debate over censorship and security," 22 Mar. 2018
The president should have been quiet with that and let -- let that information soak in on its own without looking -- without gloating and without tweeting.

— Fox News, "Rep. Trey Gowdy: Mueller probe should not be shut down," 18 Mar. 2018
Scott Utterback/Louisville Courier Journal Kylee Shook did not gloat or even offer a satisfied smile as the ball flew over a hapless Boise State defender and swished through the net for a 3-pointer.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Kylee Shook leads Louisville with substance, not flash, in tournament win over Boise State," 16 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of gloat

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

gloat

noun

Definition of gloat

: the act or feeling of one who gloats

Recent Examples of gloat from the Web

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, "Local Golf Fanatic Doesn't Know the Difference Between Weather and Climate," 29 Dec. 2017