soar
Americanverb (used without object)
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soars,
present (3rd person singular)
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soared,
past participle, past
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soaring
present participle
noun
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an act or instance of soaring.
-
the height attained in soaring.
verb
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to rise or fly upwards into the air
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(of a bird, aircraft, etc) to glide while maintaining altitude by the use of ascending air currents
-
to rise or increase in volume, size, etc
soaring prices
noun
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the act of soaring
-
the altitude attained by soaring
Synonym Usage
See fly 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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soarsimple
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soarssimple
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have soaredperfect
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has soaredperfect
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am soaringprogressive
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are soaringprogressive
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is soaringprogressive
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have been soaringperfect progressive
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has been soaringperfect progressive
Past
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soaredsimple
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had soaredperfect
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was soaringprogressive
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were soaringprogressive
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had been soaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of soar
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English soren, from Middle French essorer, from unattested Vulgar Latin exaurāre, equivalent to Latin ex- ex- 1 + aur(a) “air” + -āre infinitive suffix
Explanation
To soar means more than just to fly; it means to rise swiftly, to feel the wind slipping below you as you ride it higher, higher, higher. Flying is just moving through the air. Soaring, though, suggests exhilaration, even joy. Think about the anticipation you feel when you buy a lottery ticket — your hopes soar as you contemplate the possibilities. It's the same wonderful feeling you get when someone you have a crush on notices you, when you land that perfect job, when you hold your child. The word soar comes from the Latin, ex-, which means "out," and aura, meaning "breeze, air," together meaning "out of the air," which is precisely how it feels to soar.
Vocabulary lists containing soar
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Metaphors from Top AP English Exam Novels
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Higher Learning: Synonyms For "Up"
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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:
Grocery stores in at least seven European countries saw temperatures in their cold cases soar on Monday, with several confirming they had been hit by a cyberattack similar to one three weeks ago in France.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
“But most of all, I want to soar away.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Including deals to lease chips, Anthropic disclosed deals that could see its infrastructure costs soar to more than $750 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Professional analysts expect corporate earnings will continue to soar, driven by the ongoing build-out of the data centers needed to power artificial-intelligence technology.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 18, 2026
I could soar and swoop and dive anywhere I wanted to.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Bending Spoons stock soars as Berkshire Hathaway invests another $330 million in the digital media company.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Rival Asian firms in Japan, China and Taiwan are also investing heavily in chip plants as demand for AI soars.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Sometimes it soars up to the clouds as if escaping Nickerson Gardens for a breath of air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
See more: CrowdStrike’s stock soars after AI fuels the cybersecurity company’s ‘best quarter in history’
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The number of kids signing up for tesserae soars, but they often don’t receive their grain.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Dividend-paying stocks have done well lately, and a particular group of them, the S&P Dividend Aristocrats, has soared.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Resale values for prestige watches such as Patek Philippe Nautilus, Rolex and Audemars Piguet soared during pandemic lockdowns but plummeted not long after.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Other early reports indicate that Black voter turnout in particular soared, rivaling the numbers of Barack Obama’s first presidential run.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
Revolution’s stock has soared 143% so far this year, while the XBI is up 27%.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Mr. Lemoncello floated in a graceful arc, then soared up to join the migrating Canadian geese now flocking in a V formation on the Wonder Dome video screens.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
The P/E ratio has dropped because the EPS denominator has been soaring.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
A woman from East Sussex says she is having to take on extra work to pay for the soaring cost of her heating oil.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
It cautioned of "a shortage of food supplies and soaring prices, making access to even a single daily meal a dream".
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Sohm’s vision, per “American Mosaic,” is pure, black tar positivity: bald eagles soaring over magnificent vistas, gleaming farmland, small town cheerleaders on parade, tall ships sailing past the Statue of Liberty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
I’d known as soon as I punched off the vault that I was soaring too far out and wasn’t going to stick the landing.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
