glory
Americannoun
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glories
plural
-
very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.
to win glory on the field of battle.
-
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride.
a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
-
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.
Give glory to God.
-
resplendent beauty or magnificence.
the glory of autumn.
- Synonyms:
- effulgence, refulgence, brilliance
-
a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
-
a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc..
She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
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the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
-
a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
verb (used without object)
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glories,
present (3rd person singular)
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gloried,
past participle, past
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glorying
present participle
-
to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly (usually followed byin ).
Their father gloried in their success.
-
Obsolete. to boast.
interjection
idioms
-
glory days / years, the time of greatest achievement, popularity, success, or the like.
the glory days of radio.
-
go to glory, to die. Also go to one's glory.
noun
-
exaltation, praise, or honour, as that accorded by general consent
the glory for the exploit went to the captain
-
something that brings or is worthy of praise (esp in the phrase crowning glory )
-
thanksgiving, adoration, or worship
glory be to God
-
pomp; splendour
the glory of the king's reign
-
radiant beauty; resplendence
the glory of the sunset
-
the beauty and bliss of heaven
-
a state of extreme happiness or prosperity
verb
-
to triumph or exult
-
obsolete (intr) to brag
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
glorysimple
-
gloriessimple
-
have gloriedperfect
-
has gloriedperfect
-
am gloryingprogressive
-
are gloryingprogressive
-
is gloryingprogressive
-
have been gloryingperfect progressive
-
has been gloryingperfect progressive
Past
-
gloriedsimple
-
had gloriedperfect
-
was gloryingprogressive
-
were gloryingprogressive
-
had been gloryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glory
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French glorie, from Latin glōria
Explanation
Glory is brilliant, radiant beauty. You might admire a princess in all her glory, since she seems almost too gorgeous to be real. Glory is also a term that is sometimes used in a religious way. It means the glow or light that appears around the head of a holy person or saint, like a halo. Another use of glory is a state of high honor gained from great achievements. If you have heard the expression "you're in your glory," it means that you are very happy and proud — you must have reached one of your big goals.
Vocabulary lists containing glory
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Star Spangled Banner
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"Revolution 2.0," Vocabulary from the memoir
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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.
See Examples For:
Dave’s Hot Chicken has adopted a similar premise for its spicier entry into the market, but for many Caniacs, nothing beats the stripped-down glory of the original.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
The film frames their lapses in rigor as the joys of being a teenager, rather than imperfections — or worse, weakness in the pursuit of glory.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Jorge was Messi's agent since he was 14, watching him become one of the sport's greatest ever players and at his side when he captained his country to World Cup glory in 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"The life of comrade Zhu Rongji was a life of revolution, a life of struggle, a life of glory," an obituary jointly issued by China's top political bodies said, according to Xinhua.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The merchant’s crown, you can see, is the glory of a fading world.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Sometimes they featured celebrities recounting past glories or promoting their newest releases.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Lonely in the Future,” which in part explains why the Strokes have no wish to replicate past glories, is the most direct song on the record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He also won over Liverpool's biggest names who had under-pinned the Klopp glories of winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and two League Cups.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Their pace attack has been a "shadow of former glories" without Hazlewood, Cummins or Mitchell Starc, who has retired from the format internationally, The Australian newspaper said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
He speaks of the glories of joinery and its satisfactions.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
"I think the critics are looking backwards to a gloried past, and fail to see the strategic picture vis a vis China and technology in a really disappointing way," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2023
I had taken off my head covering because of the heat and then stood in the open and gloried in the cool rain as it beaded on my head.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2022
A 1964 Covina estate, where some descendants of the founder of the Singer sewing machine company liked to summer, gloried in a koi pond, an aviary and a 10-bed bomb shelter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2022
For years, that has brought an impressive reward: The Premier League has gloried in its financial potency.
From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2021
Amari gloried in its warmth, for her head felt thick, like it had been packed with straw.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
As shooting began in fall 2016, the show was imagined as a portrait of a woman in power, which would open with a scene of Diane glorying in the inauguration of Hillary Clinton.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2022
So on Monday, when he should have been glorying in his victory, he apologised again.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 3, 2020
A video from Atlanta, in 2016, shows her glorying in one of her signature encores, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 3, 2019
Ed. note: I will be on vacation next week, glorying in the delights of the 35th state so we will have to leave the mailbag aside for a while.
From Fox News ● Jul. 26, 2019
I should be glorying in seeing Cardan like this.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
