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
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(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
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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 looked lost — like, I thought, someone whose too-often dejected body language told us the glare of Dodger Stadium’s bright lights would do more damage than help.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
And during heated exchanges in the Oval Office in February that year, both raised their voices during an argument in the full glare of television cameras.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
That glare makes it difficult for standard imaging methods to separate a planet from nearby dust structures and other sources of light.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
His third delivery, one followed with a glinting glare, beat the edge of Henry Nicholls' bat.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
The music crashed to a stop and he turned a befuddled glare toward the audience.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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
A massive "Home Furnishings" banner glares over the line of grubby once-white caravans, many with padlocked doors and windows taped shut.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
Drawing on the icy glares of 21 Savage and Young Nudy, but with a growly, punkish urgency, who can’t relate to a mixtape titled, simply, “F- School.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
Reflections and glares on your screen can strain your eyes, Downie said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 3, 2023
He glares at the man coldly for a moment, then the man takes his hands off the cart.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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
When prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker why Trump was grateful to him for hiding the affairs, Pecker paused momentarily as Trump glared at him from across the courtroom.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2024
She glared at her husband and said, “Remember how you asked me to point out when you’re being stubborn and rude? Well, you’re being stubborn and rude!”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
They’re peppy and fruity … and a glaring recession indicator.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
The same cannot be said for “Daylight Come,” which features many glaring factual errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
By late July, as Hearn’s defense counsel moved for release of the grand jury transcripts to expose glaring prosecutorial irregularities, Pirro’s case collapsed.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The expansive cast list for “Avengers: Doomsday” includes members of the Avengers past and present, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and many others, but one glaring omission has been Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
I make sure Harris is deep into his newspaper and turn around—to see Gene the Mean glaring at me.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
