gloating

present participle of gloat
as in bragging
to show in an improper or selfish way that you are happy with your own success or another person's failure After such a tough campaign, they're gloating over their victory in the election. All right, you won. There's no need to gloat about it.

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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 gloating The guards outside the Red Keep surrender, but inside – where the dragons cannot go – is another matter, and the two fight their way to the throne room, where a large contingent of men-at-arms and knights awaits, gloating. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 A lot of this was just gloating. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 But now ShinyHunters is gloating about breaking back in. Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026 The gloating tones were not unlike those of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth describing the fate of Iranians under American bombardment. Max Hastings, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026 Following a violent clash that Saturday, group members circulated videos of Lang being dragged into a mob and struck over the head, gloating over the images as evidence that their counterprotest had been effective. Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026 No wonder Newsom gloating after the Texas court decision came down. Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025 The same 60 Minutes that Trump bellowed against and sued over edits to a sit-down with Kamala Harris last year — a lawsuit that held up David Ellison‘s $8 billion purchase of Paramount until a $16 million payout was handed over to a gloating POTUS. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2025 There was inevitable goading of some players, gloating after two days when a historic lead had been opened up, and eventual victory. Kevin Coulson, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloating
bragging
Verb
  • So, The Hawk is number one on Netflix in the US and the service is bragging about it.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • But other evidence, including video and text messages of the officer bragging about the shooting, bolstered Martinez’s account and prompted a judge to dismiss the federal charges against her.
    Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gloating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloating. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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