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.

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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

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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

A few months later, the celebrated aviator Charles Lindbergh made camp in Lebec to test a glider in the mountain drafts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

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

"The glider patrols through the depths of the ocean monitoring and listening for adversaries that might be in the area," says Fathom's programme manager Katie Raine.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025

With powerful jet engines and a wingspan longer than its fuselage, the spy plane was "part jet, part glider," according to Powers.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

“And you know why it stopped? It stopped because it turns out the gliders were geese. We called back the planes.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 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

Each was attached by a rope to a Halifax bomber—the bombers took off, towing the gliders behind them.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin