Meaning & use
glass wall
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Meanings
nouncountable
A wall made of glass, often used in buildings to let in light or create open spaces.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a glass wall' or 'glass walls'.
Patterns
- a glass wall
- glass walls
- build a glass wall
The new office has a glass wall separating the meeting room from the corridor.
They installed a glass wall to make the small apartment feel bigger.
The museum's glass wall offers a view of the garden.
nouncountablefigurative
An invisible barrier that prevents communication or progress between groups or people.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'a glass wall between An and B'.
Patterns
- a glass wall between people
- break down glass walls
There is a glass wall between the management and the staff, so ideas rarely flow.
The company is trying to break down the glass wall that separates departments.
Despite open-plan offices, a glass wall still exists between senior and junior employees.
Word forms
| plural | glass walls |
|---|
Common combinations
- glass wall between
- A glass wall between the two teams made cooperation difficult.
- break down a glass wall
- The new CEO promised to break down the glass wall between departments.
- floor-to-ceiling glass wall
- The living room features a floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking the sea.
- glass wall system
- The architect designed a glass wall system for the atrium.
Synonyms and how they differ
- barrier
- A general word for anything that blocks movement or communication; 'glass wall' is more specific and often suggests something transparent but still blocking.
- partition
- A partition is a physical divider, often not made of glass; 'glass wall' emphasizes the material and transparency.
Opposites
Word family
- glass-walled adjective
- Having walls made of glass.
Commonly confused: glass wall or glass ceiling?
glass wall vs glass ceiling
A glass ceiling is an invisible barrier to promotion, especially for women or minorities; a glass wall is more about separation and communication, not just advancement.
Practice
In a business context, what does 'glass wall' most often refer to?
Choose one answer.
In business, 'glass wall' is a figurative term for an invisible barrier that separates people or groups. Option 0 is the literal meaning, but the question asks about the business context. Option 3 confuses it with 'glass ceiling', which is about promotion, not communication.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “glass wall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.