glide

[ glahyd ]

/ glaɪd /

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See synonyms for: glide / gliding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), glid·ed, glid·ing.

to move smoothly and continuously along, as if without effort or resistance, as a flying bird, a boat, or a skater.

to pass by gradual or unobservable change (often followed by along, away, by, etc.).

to move quietly or stealthily or without being noticed (usually followed by in, out, along, etc.).

Aeronautics.

to move in the air, especially at an easy angle downward, with less engine power than for level flight, solely by the action of air currents and gravity, or by momentum already acquired.
to fly in a glider.

Music. to pass from one note to another without a break.

verb (used with object), glid·ed, glid·ing.

to cause to glide.

noun

a gliding movement, as in dancing.

a dance marked by such movements.

Music. slur (def. 10a).

Phonetics.

a speech sound having the characteristics of both a consonant and a vowel, especially w in wore and y in your, and, in some analyses, r in road and l in load; semivowel.
a transitional sound heard during the articulation linking two phonemically contiguous sounds, as the y-sound often heard between the i and e of quiet.

a calm stretch of shallow, smoothly flowing water, as in a river.

an act or instance of gliding.

Metallurgy. slip¹ (def. 49).

a smooth metal plate, as on the bottom of the feet of a chair or table, to facilitate moving and to prevent scarring of floor surfaces.

a metal track in which a drawer, shelf, etc., moves in or out.

OTHER WORDS FOR glide

1 flow.

See synonyms for glide on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR glide

1 stick.

See antonyms for glide on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of glide

First recorded before 900; Middle English gliden (verb), Old English glīdan; cognate with German gleiten

synonym study for glide

1. See slide.

OTHER WORDS FROM glide

glid·ing·ly, adverbun·glid·ing, adjective

Words nearby glide

glib, glib ice, glibly, glibness, Glidden, glide, glidepath, glide plane, glider, glide slope, glide time

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT GLIDE

What does glide mean?

To glide is to move smoothly along without effort, as in Ana loved the feeling of just gliding along the ice in her new ice skates.

Glide means to move along water or air with little to no effort, as a boat might do in the water.

Glide can be used figuratively to mean to proceed through life with little care or effort. People who glide through situations appear to have done nothing to get through, although they may have done something unseen or someone may have done something for them.

To glide also means to move quietly or without being noticed, as in Carlos tried to glide by the teacher on duty, but they saw him and told him to go back to class.

As a noun, glide refers to a gliding movement, as in dancing.

Example: Once you reach the top of the hill, you can just glide all the way down.

Where does glide come from?

The first records of the term glide come from before the 900s. It ultimately comes from the Old English glīdan.

One use of glide you might have heard of is in relation to the sport hang gliding, in which people hang from a large, kite-like hang glider. A glider broadly refers to an aircraft with no engine. The simplest gliders are paper airplanes, which slowly glide to their targets, but there are larger gliders, such as a space shuttle, which relies primarily on wind resistance to move and land appropriately upon re-entry into the atmosphere.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to glide?

glidingly (adverb)
ungliding (adjective)
glider (noun)
gliding (noun, verb)

What are some synonyms for glide?

What are some words that share a root or word element with glide?

What are some words that often get used in discussing glide?

How is glide used in real life?

Glide is a common word that refers to moving smoothly and continuously.

What are your thoughts on the released/unreleased weather changes of Chapter 3 (Tornadoes, Snow & Lightning)? And the feature where you can glide in Tornadoes.. pic.twitter.com/09RjARmD6u

— Yashiro (@itsyashiro) December 7, 2021

I really want some heelys!! Y’all remember those??? I use to just glide everywhere 😂

— Mahogany *LOX* (@MahoganyLOX) March 12, 2015

Success! All players can log in without encountering a queue. Glide/Hover back into the action!

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) February 26, 2018

Try using glide!

Is glide used correctly in the following sentence?

Harry glided through life, never having to work, because he inherited his parents” wealth.

How to use glide in a sentence

According to its tax records, MHS spent $91,095 per child on academics, sports, trips, mental and physical health care, scholarships and living expenses in the 2018-19 academic year — intended as a glide path to the middle class.
“I Finally Got to the Mountaintop and I Failed”|by Bob Fernandez, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Charlotte Keith, Spotlight PA|June 10, 2021|ProPublica
The company may also attempt glide flights for its newly unveiled SpaceShipThree this summer.
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo has flown to the edge of space|Neel V. Patel|May 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
VSS Imagine will soon begin ground testing, with glide flights planned for this summer from Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America base in New Mexico.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through April 3)|Singularity Hub Staff|April 3, 2021|Singularity Hub
My new faves have a smooth glide, good hold on the uphill, solid speed on the downhill, and edges that handle well on narrow trails with mellow turns.
The Gear Our Editors Loved in December|The Editors|January 6, 2021|Outside Online

This dual-bevel sliding miter saw comes with a glide system that allows for wider, more precise crosscuts.
Make every project a breeze with the right miter saw|PopSci Commerce Team|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
Angelina Jolie was able to seemingly glide into the Vatican on Thursday to present her new film ‘Unbroken.’
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
With the South Carolina GOP primary behind him, Sen. Lindsey Graham appears to be on a glide path to re-election.
T-Rav: The Reality TV Star Running for Senate in South Carolina|Patricia Murphy|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He started to glide the window back up to get out of the car, and at once the officer began to beat his gun butt on the window.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul|Rilla Askew|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I describe the pink hued iridescent bubbles in the bathtub, and the way they glide away from my skin as if it's made of silk.
ASMR and the Rise of the Whisper Fetish|Aurora Snow|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
McAuliffe had been given a glide path to the nomination and had the active support of almost every Democratic elected official.
How the Richer, Better Run Campaign Barely Won in Virginia|Ben Jacobs|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Immediately the door was opened just enough to let the two men glide in; then it was shut with a bang and bolted.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
They glide across my face with tender, soft caress, and I feel something melt within me.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Fortunately, childhood is protected by a resisting candour, by an enamel over which all impurities glide.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
Then he stooped down and begun to glide along the wall, just his shoulders showing over the people's heads.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
He noted that Sssuri had stepped up the pace, passing into his sure-footed glide which made Dalgard exert himself to keep up.
Star Born|Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for glide

glide

/ (ɡlaɪd) /

verb

to move or cause to move easily without jerks or hesitationsto glide in a boat down the river

(intr) to pass slowly or without perceptible changeto glide into sleep

to cause (an aircraft) to come into land without engine power, or (of an aircraft) to land in this way

(intr) to fly a glider

(intr) music to execute a portamento from one note to another

(intr) phonetics to produce a glide

noun

a smooth easy movement

any of various dances featuring gliding steps
a step in such a dance

a manoeuvre in which an aircraft makes a gentle descent without engine powerSee also glide path

the act or process of gliding

music

a long portion of tubing slipped in and out of a trombone to increase its length for the production of lower harmonic seriesSee also valve (def. 5)
a portamento or slur

phonetics

a transitional sound as the speech organs pass from the articulatory position of one speech sound to that of the next, as the (w) sound in some pronunciations of the word doing
another word for semivowel

crystallog another name for slip 1 (def. 33)

cricket another word for glance 1 (def. 11)

Derived forms of glide

glidingly, adverb

Word Origin for glide

Old English glīdan; related to Old High German glītan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

glide

OTHER WORDS FOR glide

OPPOSITES FOR glide

Origin of glide

synonym study for glide

OTHER WORDS FROM glide

Words nearby glide

MORE ABOUT GLIDE

What does glide mean?

Where does glide come from?

Did you know … ?

How is glide used in real life?

Try using glide!

Words related to glide

How to use glide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for glide

Derived forms of glide

Word Origin for glide