glider

American  

[glahy-der] / ˈglaɪ dər /

noun

• gliders
  plural

1. a motorless, heavier-than-air aircraft for gliding from a higher to a lower level by the action of gravity or from a lower to a higher level by the action of air currents.

2. a porch swing made of an upholstered seat suspended from a steel framework by links or springs.

3. a person or thing that glides.

4. a person who pilots a glider.

---

glider British  

/ ˈɡlaɪdə /

noun

1. an aircraft capable of gliding and soaring in air currents without the use of an engine See also sailplane

2. a person or thing that glides

3. another name for flying phalanger

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gliders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of glider

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at glide, -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

glider gliders

In Salem: In the original “Thomas Crown Affair,” a stuntman for Steve McQueen takes an acrobatic thrill ride in a glider to the film’s title track, “The Windmills of Your Mind.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

The Helix is classified as a Part 103 ultralight aircraft, the same regulatory class as a hang glider.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

In the dark waters off the west coast of Scotland, a slender submarine glider, like a torpedo with wings, slips under the surface and quickly disappears off into the murk.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025

In his spare time, he regularly flew glider planes, a hobby of his for 50 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025

Triumphantly he held up the string to show us he had held on to the glider.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

Palau de Noguera is located near Àger - an area popular with paragliders and hang gliders on the edge of the Pyrenees in north-eastern Spain.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Last year, German defence tech firm Helsing opened a factory on the city's outskirts, creating 50 jobs producing unmanned submarine gliders.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

Duncan Toys has been producing yo-yos, flying discs and model gliders in China, and Washington's escalating tariffs with Beijing last year similarly forced him to pause imports.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

He also flew gliders, sometimes in time trials, and competed in cross-country skiing races.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025

They give each other matching haircuts and wrestle in the parlor and brag about the rifle training they’re preparing for, the gliders they’ll fly, the tank turrets they’ll operate.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr