gloat
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See glare 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gloat
1565–75; perhaps akin to Old Norse glotta “to smile scornfully”; compare German glotzen “to stare”
Explanation
If you gloat, you express great satisfaction at the misfortune of others. If your team scores a big win, it would be better not to gloat. Be happy for your win, but don't laugh at the other team's loss. Gloat seems have come from a Germanic word meaning "to stare." Somehow people may have gotten the sense that whoever was doing the staring was also taking a deep and unwholesome pleasure in whatever he or she was seeing. Think about people staring and pointing and laughing. Sometimes you gloat when someone has rejected the help you have offered. If your little sister won't listen to your advice on how to improve her essay and then comes home with a bad grade, it will be very hard not to gloat and say "I told you so."
Vocabulary lists containing gloat
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If it outperforms in the year ahead, I’ll gloat.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
There is a temptation to gloat, laugh at and mock them, but that may be a trap which further imperil American democracy.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026
He didn’t gloat when coaches dutifully dropped to the court to pay the push-up price.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2025
From midnight onward, most of the network’s anchors and panelists were still trying to be professional, while also just waiting for the opportunity to safely gloat.
From Slate • Nov. 6, 2024
At first I had thought it would be awful having Buddy come and visit me at the asylum—he would probably only come to gloat and hobnob with the other doctors.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
