glare
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
glares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glared,
past participle, past
-
glaring
present participle
-
to shine with or reflect a very harsh, bright, dazzling light.
-
to stare with a fiercely or angrily piercing look.
-
Archaic. to appear conspicuous; stand out obtrusively.
verb (used with object)
-
glares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glared,
past participle, past
-
glaring
present participle
noun
verb
-
(intr) to stare angrily; glower
-
(tr) to express by glowering
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(intr) (of light, colour, etc) to be very bright and intense
-
(intr) to be dazzlingly ornamented or garish
noun
-
an angry stare
-
a dazzling light or brilliance
-
garish ornamentation or appearance; gaudiness
adjective
Synonym Usage
See shine 1. Glare, glower, gloat all have connotations of emotion that accompany an intense gaze. To glare is to look piercingly or angrily: A tiger glares at its prey. To glower is to look fiercely and threateningly, as from wrath; it suggests a scowl along with a glare: to glower at a mischievous child. To gloat meant originally to look with exultation, avaricious or malignant, on something or someone: a tyrant gloating over the helplessness of his victim. Today, however, it may simply imply inner exultation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glaresimple
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glaressimple
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have glaredperfect
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has glaredperfect
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am glaringprogressive
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are glaringprogressive
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is glaringprogressive
-
have been glaringperfect progressive
-
has been glaringperfect progressive
Past
-
glaredsimple
-
had glaredperfect
-
was glaringprogressive
-
were glaringprogressive
-
had been glaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glare1
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English glaren; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German glaren; akin to glass (compare Old English glæren “glassy”); noun derivative of the verb
Origin of glare2
First recorded in 1560–70; special use of glare 1
Explanation
When you drive, you pull down your visors to block the glare, or the blinding light from the sun. The "rocket's red glare" from the national anthem is the bright light you'd see as a rocket shoots through the sky. Imagine the twinge of pain you get when you suddenly see the glare of a strong flash of bright light. Now imagine this light coming from an angry person's eyes towards you. This angry look is called a glare. If someone glares at you, be careful you don't get attacked! Glare can also mean the spotlight of public attention.
Vocabulary lists containing glare
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Words from the 4th of July Songbook
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Nothing But the Truth
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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:
The glare of the metal painted a mirage in the desiccated swap meet landscape, emitting an orb of heat and undeniable beauty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The risk was especially high at night and in poor weather, when they were blinded by the glare of headlights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
They then applied advanced processing techniques to remove glare from the much brighter host star.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
Everyone seemed jovial, leaving me to glare at my reflection in the dark train window, between stations, wondering what exactly my deal was.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
“I wanted to change, but somebody was in an all fire hurry to look at the new recruits,” Serina said, pushing a dripping blond lock of hair out of her eyes to glare at Sam.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Behind it all is a Pittsburgh native, you-know-who, head coach Curt Cignetti, the sideline stern face who still glares at his charges like it’s spring practice and someone just dropped two punts a row.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
In the premiere episode’s version of the scene, Ellie comes home later, glares at him in silence, and walks to her garage retreat.
From Salon ● May 19, 2025
A massive "Home Furnishings" banner glares over the line of grubby once-white caravans, many with padlocked doors and windows taped shut.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
And the glares he encounters from officers on their way to and from work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
The princess scoffs, then glares at her mother, turning redder by the minute.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Back on Tasman Drive, tourists excitedly posed for pictures next to a speed bump sign as a grumbling resident glared at them.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
After a dreadful service game handed an immediate second-set break to Svitolina, Sabalenka glared at her team, stomped to her seat and then broke back at the first opportunity.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
As the SDF convoy rolled by, men and boys glared from storefronts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — LeBron James glared at the Lakers bench, another chance squandered, another run from the Grizzlies delivered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2024
This brought her up short, and she glared at me through the glass.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
By late July, as Hearn’s defense counsel moved for release of the grand jury transcripts to expose glaring prosecutorial irregularities, Pirro’s case collapsed.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The expansive cast list for “Avengers: Doomsday” includes members of the Avengers past and present, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and many others, but one glaring omission has been Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Their fielding - for so long a glaring weakness - was outstanding.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
“The most glaring dynamic is the leaders/laggards rotation that we’re currently seeing as we flip the calendar,” Favuzza wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Mustafa is standing in the shadows of the auditorium seats, glaring at me.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
