glory

noun

glo·ry | \ ˈglȯr-ē

plural glories

Definition of glory

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent : renown

b : worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving giving glory to God

2a : something that secures praise or renown the glory of a brilliant career

b : a distinguished quality or asset The glory of the city is its Gothic cathedral.

3a(1) : great beauty and splendor : magnificence the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome —E. A. Poe

(2) : something marked by beauty or resplendence a perfect glory of a day

b : the splendor and beatific happiness of heaven broadly : eternity

4a : a state of great gratification or exaltation when she's acting she's in her glory

b : a height of prosperity or achievement ancient Rome in its glory

5 : a ring or spot of light: such as

a : aureole

b : a halo appearing around the shadow of an object

glory

verb

gloried; glorying

Definition of glory (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to rejoice proudly —used with in gloried in their great success

glory

interjection

variants: or glory be

Definition of glory (Entry 3 of 3)

—used to express surprise or delight

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about glory

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of glory in a Sentence

Noun

As a young soldier he dreamed of winning military glory. He now has only a few trophies to remind him of the glory of his athletic career. Let us give glory to God. The glory of the town is its fountain. an art exhibit showing off the glories of ancient civilizations The new owners are trying to restore the company to its former glory. The beautiful art reminds us of the glory of the empire.

Verb

the whole city gloried in the home team's winning of the World Series

Interjection

glory! I thought I'd never see this day come

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Still, the dream of making Boston’s Theater District a vital part of the tryout process again lingers among those who recall the glory days and are encouraged by the current burst of momentum. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "A comeback role for Boston theaters?," 14 July 2018 Southlake Carroll Can former Dragon great Riley Dodge lead his alma mater back to the glory days in his first season as a head coach? — Brian Gosset, star-telegram, "Best of the best: DFW's Top 10 football teams in 2018," 6 July 2018 In fact, Orlando City went in the opposite direction and hired O’Connor, who once played for Orlando City during the club’s minor league glory days in USL and was the highly successful coach of Louisville City FC at the USL level. — Mike Bianchi, Pro Soccer USA, "Here’s hoping Orlando City actually has some patience with new coach James O’Connor," 3 July 2018 Short of winning three more titles, which would put him equal with Abdul-Jabbar, or returning the Lakers to the glory days of Showtime, James will always be found wanting in the measurement of Laker lore. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Lakers hope LeBron will help them reclaim spotlight of Showtime era," 2 July 2018 Also along for the ride are Donna’s funny long-ago bandmates, Rosie (Karyn Overstreet) and Tanya (Barbara Schoenhofer), who eventually slip into their glittery old getups to relive glory days. — James Hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Moonlight brings the fizz and fun to ABBA-centric 'Mamma Mia!'," 16 June 2018 The north Londoners have not won the Premier League since their famous unbeaten triumph back in 2003-04, and Unai Emery will now attempt to bring in players with sufficient quality to return the glory days once more. — SI.com, "Journalist Claims That Arsenal Have Been Keeping Tabs on Portuguese Star for 'a Number of Years'," 16 June 2018 Maybe San Francisco commuters can bring back the glory days of the New York subways. — Leah Garchik, San Francisco Chronicle, "At SFJazz, Rosanne Cash gets to meet a real hero," 14 May 2018 With 20 seconds left and the season on the line, St. Andrew’s orchestrated some late-game magic reminiscent of the programs’s glory days. — Wells Dusenbury, Sun-Sentinel.com, "St. Andrew's eliminates two-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas in OT," 2 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Ambitions appeared to be thwarted for so long by a culture of entitlement as England gloried in the hype and status of being the birthplace of soccer without backing it up with results. — Rob Harris, chicagotribune.com, "After so much humiliation, England's World Cup team a source of national pride," 7 July 2018 Courts have affirmed it and Congress has substantially gloried in its role as an overpaid Rotary Club. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "If only we had a Congress," 19 June 2018 His family gloried in his drum playing and magic tricks. — Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 6/10," 10 June 2018 There was femininity, gloried in and defined multiple ways via dress. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, "The Golden Globes’ 500 Shades of Black: Did It Work?," 8 Jan. 2018 The other orchestral choirs were far from neglected, however, and the Shostakovich gloried in robust brass playing. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Nikolaj Znaider trades his violin bow for a baton and elicits admirable results from the CSO," 22 Dec. 2017 We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake. — latimes.com, "Read Sen. Jeff Flake's speech announcing he will not seek reelection: 'I will not be complicit'," 24 Oct. 2017 On Truth We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake. — Kirsten Korosec, Fortune, "Sen. Jeff Flake to Leave Senate: 'I Will Not Be Complicit'," 24 Oct. 2017 We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake. — Joe Donatelli, Los Angeles Magazine, "You Cannot Appreciate the Brutal Savagery of Sen. Flake’s Resignation Speech Until You Read it in Full," 24 Oct. 2017

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

History and Etymology for glory

Noun

Middle English glorie, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin gloria

Verb

see glory entry 1

Interjection

see glory entry 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about glory

Dictionary Entries near glory

Statistics for glory

Last Updated

11 Sep 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for glory

The first known use of glory was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for glory

glory

noun

English Language Learners Definition of glory

: public praise, honor, and fame

: praise of a god or goddess

: something that brings praise or fame to someone or something : something that is a source of great pride

See the full definition for glory in the English Language Learners Dictionary

glory

noun

glo·ry | \ ˈglȯr-ē

plural glories

Kids Definition of glory

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : praise, honor, and admiration given to a person

2 : something that brings honor, praise, or fame the glories of ancient Rome

3 : brilliance, splendor “… if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind you.” —L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz