glory

1 of 3

noun

glo·​ry ˈglȯr-ē How to pronounce glory (audio)
plural glories
1
a
: praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent : renown
b
: worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving
giving glory to God
2
a
: 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.
3
a
: 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
4
a(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
5
: a ring or spot of light: such as
a
b
: a halo appearing around the shadow of an object

glory

2 of 3

verb

gloried; glorying

intransitive verb

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

glory

3 of 3

interjection

variants or glory be
used to express surprise or delight

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
The war eventually was stopped by the compassion of an Arabian girl who saved lives and brought reputation and glory to her family. Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Through their massive fundraising efforts, the Fox was reborn and restored to its former glory. Steven Satterfield, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 Many residents think of the downtown club as a place for business executives, politicians and attorneys to relive their glory days on the basketball court, grab a drink in the Elephant Room and network or gossip. Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 That's when Fenway Park's inviting left-field wall began beckoning batters, particularly righties, to swing for glory. Chuck Murr, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Newton was part of transition from Tom Landry to Jimmy Johnson and a prominent figure in the franchise’s return to championship glory. Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024 The Crooked House, a pub in England’s West Midlands that was demolished last year after a suspicious fire, could soon be rising from the rubble after its owners were ordered to restore the pub to its former lopsided glory. Megan Specia, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Many Influencer Program participants are also Amazon sellers, drop shippers and Kindle publishers looking to tap into the site’s massive audience of consumers and ride the tech behemoth’s coattails to wealth and glory. Caroline O'Donovan, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024 Share your glory, and the rewards will surpass your expectations. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Messi, at 35, led his country to glory against France, winning soccer’s ultimate prize in a pulsating match that finished 3-3 after extra time and had to be settled by a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2022 If Harris can bring together a family with Indian, African, and Jewish heritage, America can glory in its diversity. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2020 For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hub IN THE 17TH CENTURY parliaments gloried in names such as the Blessed Parliament, the Addled Parliament, the Happy Parliament and the Useless Parliament. The Economist, 25 Apr. 2020 The best way to remember Jones is by going to the Python movies and TV episodes and glorying in that great gift of laughter. Mark Dawidziak, cleveland, 25 Jan. 2020 Fleabag of old would’ve gloried in sharing this carnal victory with the camera. Ew Staff, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2019 Unlike the 2000s movies, which gloried in their goofery, Banks’ film clearly wants to break new ground for the franchise. Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Nov. 2019 Mark just tells them about Tyler, the second of his three sons who all had a chance to play every position in every sport but gravitated to the glamour position in the country’s most gloried game. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2019 And her face at the climax, the play of emotions as the plot machinery reaches its inevitable terminus, rivals the Satanists’ glorying at the infernal infant at the end of Rosemary’s Baby as the most sinister possible expression of delight. Ross Douthat, National Review, 25 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb, and Interjection

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Interjection

1816, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near glory

Cite this Entry

“Glory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glory. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

glory

1 of 2 noun
glo·​ry ˈglōr-ē How to pronounce glory (audio)
ˈglȯr-
plural glories
1
a
: praise, honor, or distinction given by common consent
b
: worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving
2
a
: something that brings praise or renown
b
: a distinguished quality or brilliant asset
the glory of the town was its fountain
3
a
: great beauty : splendor sense 2
b
: the splendor and bliss of heaven
4
: a height of prosperity or achievement
in her glory when she's painting

glory

2 of 2 verb
gloried; glorying
: to rejoice proudly : exult
he gloried in his fame

More from Merriam-Webster on glory

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!