glare

¹ American  

[glair] / glɛər /

noun

1. a very harsh, bright, dazzling light.

   in the glare of sunlight.

   Synonyms:

   flash, glitter, flare

2. a fiercely or angrily piercing stare.

3. dazzling or showy appearance; showiness.

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verb (used without object)

glared, glaring

1. to shine with or reflect a very harsh, bright, dazzling light.

2. to stare with a fiercely or angrily piercing look.

3. Archaic. to appear conspicuous; stand out obtrusively.

verb (used with object)

glared, glaring

1. to express with a glare.

   They glared their anger at each other.

glare ² American  

[glair] / glɛər /

noun

1. a bright, smooth surface, as of ice.

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glare ¹ British  

/ ɡlɛə /

verb

1. (intr) to stare angrily; glower

2. (tr) to express by glowering

3. (intr) (of light, colour, etc) to be very bright and intense

4. (intr) to be dazzlingly ornamented or garish

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noun

1. an angry stare

2. a dazzling light or brilliance

3. garish ornamentation or appearance; gaudiness

glare ² British  

/ ɡlɛə /

adjective

1. smooth and glassy

   glare ice

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Related Words

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

• glareless adjective
• glary adjective

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

Example Sentences

The BBC revealed in October that further research into headlight glare would be included in the strategy.

From BBC

Our analysis shows that while prelaunch checks and post-deployment oversight may catch the most glaring errors, they may be less effective at addressing subtle communication bias that emerges through user interactions.

From Salon

The Rams’ 27-24 loss to the Falcons did not result exclusively because of injuries, but the holes left by missing starters were apparent and in some cases glaring.

From Los Angeles Times

But the final minutes took the Trojans on a tour of all the most glaring concerns from their 2025 season, from the leaky defense to the missed opportunities on offense.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite glaring issues, it’s never been cheaper to get a humanoid robot.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• frown
• gape
• gawk
• glower
• scowl
• stare