glide

[ glahyd ]

/ glaɪd /

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.

SYNONYMS FOR glide

1 flow.

See synonyms for glide on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR glide

1 stick.

See antonyms for glide on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.

Question 1 of 13

How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?

gato/gata

cato/cata

gatto/gatta

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for glide

The glamorous couple had been photographed countless times as they glided through the glittering world of British high society.
Dead Heiress Eva Rausing and Husband Hans Kristian Battled Addiction|Mike Giglio|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The way Fred and Adele Astaire glided and strode on stage must have reminded one of the joys of being alive.
This Week’s Hot Reads: March 23, 2012|Jimmy So|March 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She glided over the tile floor like a gazelle and had a face that Amedeo Modigliani would have died for.
They Were Perfect Together|Lawrence Schiller|November 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
She glided like a queen into the Whitney Gala on Monday night and watched as hot young things preened and posed in her gowns.
Inside Donatella's World|Rebecca Dana|October 20, 2009|DAILY BEAST

In a world of many squeaky wheels, Obama glided smoothly from task to task.
The Making of the Book That Made Obama|Peter Osnos|January 27, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She glided out of the window, and Peggy followed, her heart beating to suffocation, her cheeks glowing with excitement.
Peggy|Laura E. Richards
"Ready," said Dab, and the "Jenny" glided gracefully away from the landing with the starting push he gave her.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, July 1878, No. 9|Various
Miss Piper glided in sideways, holding her head down as if she were searching for a dropped pin on the pavement.
In the Wilderness|Robert Hichens
Day after day we glided on across the smooth ocean with a cloudless sky, our food and water gradually decreasing.
Peter Trawl|W. H. G. Kingston
But it was difficult to rouse emotion concerning things which we glided by without visiting.
It Happened in Egypt|C. N. Williamson

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

glide

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

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

noun

SYNONYMS FOR glide

ANTONYMS FOR glide

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of glide

synonym study for glide

OTHER WORDS FROM glide

Example sentences from the Web for glide

British Dictionary definitions for glide

verb

noun

Derived forms of glide

Word Origin for glide

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

glide

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

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

noun

SYNONYMS FOR glide

ANTONYMS FOR glide

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of glide

synonym study for glide

OTHER WORDS FROM glide

Words related to glide

Example sentences from the Web for glide

British Dictionary definitions for glide

verb

noun

Derived forms of glide

Word Origin for glide