glory
Americannoun
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glories
plural
-
very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.
to win glory on the field of battle.
-
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride.
a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
-
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.
Give glory to God.
-
resplendent beauty or magnificence.
the glory of autumn.
- Synonyms:
- effulgence, refulgence, brilliance
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a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
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a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc..
She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
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the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
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a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
verb (used without object)
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glories,
present (3rd person singular)
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gloried,
past participle, past
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glorying
present participle
-
to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly (usually followed byin ).
Their father gloried in their success.
-
Obsolete. to boast.
interjection
idioms
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glory days / years, the time of greatest achievement, popularity, success, or the like.
the glory days of radio.
-
go to glory, to die. Also go to one's glory.
noun
-
exaltation, praise, or honour, as that accorded by general consent
the glory for the exploit went to the captain
-
something that brings or is worthy of praise (esp in the phrase crowning glory )
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thanksgiving, adoration, or worship
glory be to God
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pomp; splendour
the glory of the king's reign
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radiant beauty; resplendence
the glory of the sunset
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the beauty and bliss of heaven
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a state of extreme happiness or prosperity
verb
-
to triumph or exult
-
obsolete (intr) to brag
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glorysimple
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gloriessimple
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have gloriedperfect
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has gloriedperfect
-
am gloryingprogressive
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are gloryingprogressive
-
is gloryingprogressive
-
have been gloryingperfect progressive
-
has been gloryingperfect progressive
Past
-
gloriedsimple
-
had gloriedperfect
-
was gloryingprogressive
-
were gloryingprogressive
-
had been gloryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glory
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French glorie, from Latin glōria
Explanation
Glory is brilliant, radiant beauty. You might admire a princess in all her glory, since she seems almost too gorgeous to be real. Glory is also a term that is sometimes used in a religious way. It means the glow or light that appears around the head of a holy person or saint, like a halo. Another use of glory is a state of high honor gained from great achievements. If you have heard the expression "you're in your glory," it means that you are very happy and proud — you must have reached one of your big goals.
Vocabulary lists containing glory
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Star Spangled Banner
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"Revolution 2.0," Vocabulary from the memoir
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
James, along with Sawitskas and his pals, want the carousel to be restored to its original glory, a magnificent, gleaming merry-go-round that inspired Disney to dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Oh, I long for the glory days of … Clay Helton!
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Like Warrington, Wakefield have waited a long time to return to league glory, with a 58-year gap since their last title.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
"Today, the entire world is proud of him. I urge my fellow citizens to pray for Smit's long life and excellent health, and to salute Smit, who has brought glory to India."
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Marco’s cart drew closer in all its polished, shining glory.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
When Ratcliffe agreed on Christmas Eve 2023 to spend £1.25bn to buy a minority stake in Manchester United, his intention was to restore the ailing club to its past glories.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Elsinore” captures that journey in all of its glories and taxing challenges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
In morning glories, researchers found that the population's rate of adaptation fell by 96% over nine years.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Insisting on both the singularity of Gaudí’s vision and the glories of artistic collaboration, the Sagrada Família woos believer and nonbeliever alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
He speaks of glories and triumphs and how fortunate they’ll be to have fixed employment.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
More accurately, she added, he was “a quintessential” man of the Renaissance, which gloried in the revival of not only art and literature but also science and explorations of nature.
From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
The then-deputy L.A. police chief and future chief James Davis — who gloried in the nickname “Two-Gun Davis” — recommended markswoman Marion Semmelmeyer as the crack shot for a newsreel scene in 1933.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2023
"I think the critics are looking backwards to a gloried past, and fail to see the strategic picture vis a vis China and technology in a really disappointing way," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2023
As D.C. suffered and then gloried in a few winning teams, Tom spoke for the fans, always.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2021
Instead of hating the feeling, I gloried in it.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
A video from Atlanta, in 2016, shows her glorying in one of her signature encores, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 3, 2019
Ed. note: I will be on vacation next week, glorying in the delights of the 35th state so we will have to leave the mailbag aside for a while.
From Fox News ● Jul. 26, 2019
But this wasn’t a moment of triumphalism, or of glorying in the moment.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2018
Wimmelbooks do just that — they show people glorying “in their ordinary selves,” as he puts it.
From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2018
I should be glorying in seeing Cardan like this.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
