Synonyms of gliding

gliding 1 of 3

adjective

as in hovering

Related Words

• hovering
• sailing
• hanging
• drifting
• wafting
• poised
• floating
• free-floating
• buoyant
• floaty
• afloat
• awash
• unsinkable

Dissimilar Words

• sinking
• sunk
• high and dry
• aground

gliding

2 of 3

noun

as in soaring

Related Words

• soaring
• ballooning
• paragliding
• skydiving
• hang gliding
• aeronautics
• flying
• aviation
• flight

gliding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of glide

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

• flowing
• cruising
• drifting
• sliding
• sailing
• flying
• brushing
• slipping
• rolling
• sweeping
• coasting
• racing
• bowling
• speeding
• streaming
• rushing
• skimming
• whisking
• breezing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• struggling
• floundering
• stumbling
• trudging
• shuffling
• plodding
• limping
• lumbering
• stamping
• stomping
• laboring
• tramping
• toiling
• shambling
• stumping

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

• flying
• hovering
• floating
• sailing
• soaring
• drifting
• winging
• planing
• fluttering
• darting
• aviating
• wafting
• flitting
• coasting
• sweeping
• hanging
• cruising
• orbiting
• diving
• rocketing
• stooping
• helicoptering
• catapulting
• jetting

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

• hovering
• floating
• sailing
• swimming
• drifting
• riding
• hanging
• bobbing
• wafting
• dangling
• poising
• suspending
• rafting
• buoying
• ballooning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settling
• sinking
• diving
• plunging
• lunging
• dipping
• submerging
• immersing
• submersing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gliding

Adjective

In addition, the action includes top-tier spider combat and awesome web-slinging and web-gliding traversal abilities. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026

Noun

Visitors especially enjoy paragliding and hang-gliding in the area, as well as canoeing and hiking all around the Valley. — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 28 July 2026

And in 2022, Ristroph studied the surpassingly complex aerodynamics of what makes a good paper airplane—specifically what is needed for smooth gliding. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

This week, the moon will be visible gliding silently through the daytime sky from today (April 22), up until the next full moon phase on May 1. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026

Perfect for children’s bedrooms and play spaces, these favorably reviewed linen-blend curtains feature grommets for effortless gliding and breezy stripes in 27 colors that are equally kid- and grownup-friendly. — Shoko Wanger, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2025

The team showed that this gliding persists down to –15 degree Celsius, setting a new benchmark for cellular motility in complex, nucleus-bearing organisms. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025

Five-foot-10 and 170 pounds in his prime, Rondell was known for his daring diving, gymnastic and hang-gliding skills. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2025

Verb

And there was Nacua, gliding underneath the pass and taking it to the end zone to a roar of cheers. — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 30 July 2026

Videos online showed buses easily gliding through emptied lanes. — John Surico, Curbed, 24 July 2026

At Waa Kiakahi, guests are taken out on much easier, gentler rides just offshore from the beach to get a feel for gliding in a canoe. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 22 July 2026

The sequence opens with the faint crescent of Mars growing steadily larger before gliding over the planet’s sweeping ocher vistas. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 21 July 2026

Who are these slimy gastropods that have been gliding across Earth since before the Ice Age? — Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026

And for the best views, get one of the small, stylish rooms on the fourth floor—you’ll be able to see the ships gliding by. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026

Mars is spending the final days of the month gliding past the famous Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters) and this celestial encounter will not be this easy to see again for years. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

Unusual modes of locomotion include lizards running on water, snakes gliding, and apes swinging through trees. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026