1
as in flowing
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
looking for a college course that he could just glide through
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flying
to move through the air with or as if with outstretched wings
a kite gliding on the autumn breeze
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in floating
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
water striders gliding along the surface of the brook
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in soaring
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gliding
Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
With Neptune gliding through your third house of communication, learning and mental processes, everything from your thoughts to the dynamics of your inner circles will undergo a subtle but powerful transformation.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Apart from being a stylish white sneaker, these shoes are perfect for gliding across the court with shock absorption for soft landings.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2025
How could any of us have doubted Lawrence’s stealth-chic style gliding comfortably into (slightly) warmer temperatures.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Imagine a snake as long as a school bus gliding silently through a prehistoric seaway, stalking its prey.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The juveniles gliding through the North Yuba today recently hatched from eggs that were deposited by scientists last fall.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Think of them as the original quiet quitters, gliding along in neutral, unwilling to put the car in gear.
—Jenny Anderson, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025
This climate supported dense, humid forests—in fact evidence for such, in the form of plant fossils, has also been found at the Gray Fossil Site—that would have allowed the critter to cross into North America, gliding from tree to tree.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
Whetstone sharpening involves soaking a low-to-high grit stone in water and gliding a dull blade up and down it at an angle, removing steel to create a sharp edge.
—Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
With Neptune gliding through your third house of communication, learning and mental processes, everything from your thoughts to the dynamics of your inner circles will undergo a subtle but powerful transformation.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Apart from being a stylish white sneaker, these shoes are perfect for gliding across the court with shock absorption for soft landings.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2025
How could any of us have doubted Lawrence’s stealth-chic style gliding comfortably into (slightly) warmer temperatures.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Imagine a snake as long as a school bus gliding silently through a prehistoric seaway, stalking its prey.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The juveniles gliding through the North Yuba today recently hatched from eggs that were deposited by scientists last fall.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Think of them as the original quiet quitters, gliding along in neutral, unwilling to put the car in gear.
—Jenny Anderson, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025
This climate supported dense, humid forests—in fact evidence for such, in the form of plant fossils, has also been found at the Gray Fossil Site—that would have allowed the critter to cross into North America, gliding from tree to tree.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gliding
Verb
-
The chance for precipitation is hovering around 60% as of Saturday morning and rainfall amounts are expected to reach between a tenth and quarter of an inch, the forecast shows.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2025
-
To the north, Canada also slipped down the ladder but remains well ahead of the US, coming in at 18 after hovering around 15 for the last few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This sent prices in neighboring Bangladesh soaring, and authorities are scrambling to find new sources for the vegetable. Elsewhere, a drought in Spain took its toll on olive oil production.—
Aniruddha Ghosal, Evelyne Musambi, and Joeal Calupitan,
The Christian Science Monitor,
28 Sep. 2023
-
The orange leather piece featured a soaring, nearly hip-grazing leg slit that culminated with a gold buckle at the top.—
Chelsey Sanchez,
Harper's BAZAAR,
26 Sep. 2022
Verb
-
After ten days of cruising Antarctic waters, dodging icebergs, and spotting elephant seals, the cruise’s 140 passengers could toss their Dramamine, catch a plane from the gravel runway at Frei Station research base, and fly straight back to Chile.—
Blair Braverman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Dec. 2024
-
The Celtics are cruising off of stellar chemistry and roster continuity.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Don’t really care about awards, but sense some irony or hypocrisy floating around.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Within the past few days, San Francisco Bay has also seen an increase in sightings of dead gray whales, beginning with a female gray whale that was first reported floating near Alcatraz Island on March 29.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The neutral material keeps it from looking like an eye sore and can be expanded for more hanging space as needed.—
Micaela Arnett,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2024
Noun
-
If Trump takes Powell’s scalp, most observers warn, terrible things will unfold because of the ballooning national debt.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
Here is the unvarnished truth: The reconciliation bill, which reforms these two ballooning programs, does not mandate that a single Marylander lose benefits.—
Lauren Arikan,
Baltimore Sun,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gliding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gliding. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share