Meaning & use
glare
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To look at someone for a long moment with an angry expression.
Grammar: No object; takes at: she glared at him.
Patterns
- glare at someone
- glare at something
The woman glared at the boy who kicked her seat.
He glared at me across the table but said nothing.
They glared at each other in silence.
verbintransitive
To shine so brightly that it is hard to look at.
Grammar: No object; often with down: the sun glared down.
Patterns
- glare down
- glare off something
The sun glared off the windshield.
Floodlights glared down on the empty field.
The snow glared in the afternoon light.
nouncountable
An angry, fixed look.
Grammar: Often a verb phrase: give someone a glare.
Patterns
- a glare at someone
- give someone a glare
She gave him a withering glare.
His glare made the room go quiet.
The teacher answered the noise with a stern glare.
noununcountable
Harsh, dazzling light that is uncomfortable to look at.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: the glare of the sun.
Patterns
- the glare of something
I wore sunglasses to cut the glare off the water.
The glare from the headlights blinded me.
He squinted against the glare of the screen.
Word forms
| third person singular | glares |
|---|---|
| past tense | glared |
| past participle | glared |
| -ing form | glaring |
Common combinations
- glare at someone
- He glared at the driver who cut him off.
- icy glare
- She gave the late arrivals an icy glare.
- glare of the sun
- The glare of the sun made driving difficult.
- reduce the glare
- Matte screens reduce glare.
- glare of publicity
- The family lived in the glare of publicity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glower
- Glower suggests a sulky, brooding look, while glare is more direct and fierce.
- scowl
- Scowl describes the frown on the face, not necessarily staring at someone.
- stare
- Stare can be neutral or curious, but glare always carries anger.
- dazzle
- Dazzle describes light that overwhelms the eyes, though glare adds the idea of harshness.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: glare or glance? glare or gaze?
glare vs glance
A glance is a very quick look, while a glare is long and angry.
glare vs gaze
A gaze is a steady look, often admiring or dreamy, not angry.
Practice
When the child threw the ball through the window, his neighbor ___ at him furiously.
Choose one answer.
Glared at means looked angrily. Glanced is a quick look, glimpsed is seen briefly, and gazed is a calm long look, none of which show fury.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “glare”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.