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Meaning & use

glaze

noun, verb·Academic

Last updated

UK/ɡleɪz/
US/ɡleɪz/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    A thin, shiny layer put on food, pottery, or other surfaces to give a smooth, glossy finish.

    Grammar: Can be countable when referring to a specific type: 'a chocolate glaze'; uncountable when talking about the substance in general: 'The pottery is covered in glaze.'

    Patterns

    • a glaze of something
    • under a glaze

    The baker brushed a sweet glaze over the warm donuts.

    The potter applied a blue glaze to the bowl before firing it.

    A thin glaze of ice covered the tree branches after the storm.

  2. verbtransitive

    To cover something with a thin, shiny coating, especially food or pottery.

    Grammar: Takes an object: glaze the ham.

    Patterns

    • glaze something with something
    • glaze something

    She glazed the cake with a lemon syrup.

    The windows were glazed to keep out the cold.

  3. verbintransitivefigurative

    To become dull and unfocused, especially of the eyes, often from boredom or tiredness.

    Grammar: No object; often used with 'over': His eyes glazed over.

    Patterns

    • eyes glaze over
    • glaze over

    The students' eyes glazed over during the long lecture.

    His eyes glazed over as he stared at the screen for hours.

Word forms

third person singularglazes
past tenseglazed
past participleglazed
-ing formglazing
pluralglazes

Common combinations

chocolate glaze
The chocolate glaze on the cake was still warm.
glaze over
The audience's attention glazed over after an hour.
apply a glaze
Apply a thin glaze to the pottery before firing.
glaze with
Glaze the pastries with apricot jam.

Synonyms and how they differ

coating
Coating is a general word for any layer; glaze specifically suggests a shiny, smooth finish.
varnish
Varnish is used for wood or paintings, not usually for food or pottery; it also dries hard.
icing
Icing is a sweet sugar topping for cakes; glaze is thinner and often shiny.

Word family

glazed adjective
Covered with a shiny coating, or (of eyes) showing no expression.
glazier noun
A person who cuts and fits glass for windows.
glazing noun
The glass in windows, or the act of fitting glass.

Commonly confused: glaze or glance? glaze or graze?

glaze vs glance

Glance means a quick look; glaze is a shiny coating or a dulling of the eyes.

glaze vs graze

Graze means to eat grass or to scrape the skin; glaze is about a shiny surface.

Practice

The chef decided to ___ the ham with a honey and mustard mixture.

Make it your own

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