glare
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
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to shine with or reflect a very harsh, bright, dazzling light.
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to stare with a fiercely or angrily piercing look.
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Archaic. to appear conspicuous; stand out obtrusively.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to stare angrily; glower
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(tr) to express by glowering
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(intr) (of light, colour, etc) to be very bright and intense
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(intr) to be dazzlingly ornamented or garish
noun
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an angry stare
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a dazzling light or brilliance
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garish ornamentation or appearance; gaudiness
adjective
Related Words
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
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.
The home-schooled heavyweight has never looked entirely comfortable under the glare of cameras.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
“This is the ideal time to address issues of light glare, intensity and color,” Longcore said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
But noise, as well as glare, are typically buffered with vegetative landscaping and setbacks, or the distance between the property line and the nearest structure.
From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026
Much of this took place in a harsh glare of publicity, as travellers took to social media or spoke to news networks about their experiences and frustrations.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
At first Nate felt himself under the watchful glare of Captain Marsh.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
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.
