glare
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
glares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glared,
past participle, past
-
glaring
present participle
-
to shine with or reflect a very harsh, bright, dazzling light.
-
to stare with a fiercely or angrily piercing look.
-
Archaic. to appear conspicuous; stand out obtrusively.
verb (used with object)
-
glares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glared,
past participle, past
-
glaring
present participle
noun
verb
-
(intr) to stare angrily; glower
-
(tr) to express by glowering
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(intr) (of light, colour, etc) to be very bright and intense
-
(intr) to be dazzlingly ornamented or garish
noun
-
an angry stare
-
a dazzling light or brilliance
-
garish ornamentation or appearance; gaudiness
adjective
Synonym Usage
See shine 1. Glare, glower, gloat all have connotations of emotion that accompany an intense gaze. To glare is to look piercingly or angrily: A tiger glares at its prey. To glower is to look fiercely and threateningly, as from wrath; it suggests a scowl along with a glare: to glower at a mischievous child. To gloat meant originally to look with exultation, avaricious or malignant, on something or someone: a tyrant gloating over the helplessness of his victim. Today, however, it may simply imply inner exultation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glaresimple
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glaressimple
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have glaredperfect
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has glaredperfect
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am glaringprogressive
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are glaringprogressive
-
is glaringprogressive
-
have been glaringperfect progressive
-
has been glaringperfect progressive
Past
-
glaredsimple
-
had glaredperfect
-
was glaringprogressive
-
were glaringprogressive
-
had been glaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glare1
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English glaren; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German glaren; akin to glass (compare Old English glæren “glassy”); noun derivative of the verb
Origin of glare2
First recorded in 1560–70; special use of glare 1
Explanation
When you drive, you pull down your visors to block the glare, or the blinding light from the sun. The "rocket's red glare" from the national anthem is the bright light you'd see as a rocket shoots through the sky. Imagine the twinge of pain you get when you suddenly see the glare of a strong flash of bright light. Now imagine this light coming from an angry person's eyes towards you. This angry look is called a glare. If someone glares at you, be careful you don't get attacked! Glare can also mean the spotlight of public attention.
Vocabulary lists containing glare
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Words from the 4th of July Songbook
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Nothing But the Truth
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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:
He’s the most talentless man ever caught in the bright glare of the light he demanded from the world.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Using similar observing methods, Roman could identify planets in tighter orbits, including true Jupiter analogs that are currently hidden by the glare of their stars.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
The more social approach, and my personal preference, is to huff and glare at the human foghorn—and try to catch the eye of a fellow pissed-off commuter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Note the simple fabric-and-wire belly covering on C-3PO and the two ordinary lightbulbs that give the Jawas their hot glare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“They bit you,” she said with a suspicious glare.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Though “stupid song” has its somber moments, it’s easier to scream in a crowd without catching concerned glares.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Behind it all is a Pittsburgh native, you-know-who, head coach Curt Cignetti, the sideline stern face who still glares at his charges like it’s spring practice and someone just dropped two punts a row.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
The agency said the crashes involved reduced roadway visibility, with fog or glares from the sun.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2024
Unlike her glares that torpedoed Jo Koy at the Golden Globes, Swift appeared to be enjoying Noah.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
Aunt Pooh glares at me in the rearview mirror.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
I petted my bird by tapping my screen while my real life cat glared at me from a corner.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
Back on Tasman Drive, tourists excitedly posed for pictures next to a speed bump sign as a grumbling resident glared at them.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
As the SDF convoy rolled by, men and boys glared from storefronts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
"I stood up forcefully and glared at him. I was in shock and disbelief. I couldn't believe this had happened to me."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2025
Carr glared at Mal, all thin lips and flared nostrils, but before he could say anything, there was a commotion to their left.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
In this series, he has two hits and two strikeouts in eight at-bats, and his inability to refrain from swinging at pitches outside the strike zone has become a glaring weakness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Everton could point to the fact Balogun took a personal decision they could not reverse, but the bigger question is why they took until the final day of the window to address glaring long-term issues?
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The glaring problem with the lawsuit: It’s far from clear the National Trust has standing to bring the suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Even before the summer rush, nerves were on edge; a January 4 breakdown in the communication system linking air traffic controllers and aircraft had laid bare a glaring weakness.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
He’d met a lot of goddesses, but the girl glaring down at him from the edge of the crater actually looked like a goddess.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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