Meaning & use
glide
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To move smoothly and quietly with little effort, often through air or over a surface.
Grammar: No object; often used with adverbs or prepositional phrases like 'through', 'over', 'across'.
Patterns
- glide through something
- glide over something
- glide across something
- glide along something
The swans glided across the calm lake.
A paper airplane glided gently to the floor.
She glided through the crowded room without bumping into anyone.
verbintransitive
To fly without engine power, using air currents.
Grammar: Used about birds or aircraft; often followed by 'through' or 'over'.
Patterns
- glide through the air
- glide over the mountains
The eagle glided high above the valley.
The pilot turned off the engine and let the plane glide down.
nouncountable
A smooth, effortless movement or flight.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the phrase 'a glide'.
Patterns
- a smooth glide
- with a glide
The dancer moved with a graceful glide.
The boat's glide across the water was almost silent.
Word forms
| third person singular | glides |
|---|---|
| past tense | glided |
| past participle | glided |
| -ing form | gliding |
Common combinations
- glide smoothly
- The skater glided smoothly over the ice.
- glide through
- The canoe glided through the quiet water.
- glide across
- A hawk glided across the sky.
- glide down
- The plane began to glide down for a landing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slide
- Slide often suggests a shorter, less controlled movement, sometimes with friction, while glide emphasizes smooth, continuous motion.
- sail
- Sail can mean to move smoothly and confidently, often used for people, but it is more figurative than glide.
- float
- Float suggests staying on air or water without much movement, while glide implies moving steadily forward.
Opposites
Word family
- glider noun
- A light aircraft that flies without an engine.
- gliding noun
- The sport of flying gliders.
Commonly confused: glide or slide?
glide vs slide
Slide can be transitive (slide the door) and often implies contact with a surface; glide is usually intransitive and suggests smooth, effortless motion.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: 'The swan glided ___ the surface of the pond.'
Choose one answer.
'Across' fits because the swan moves from one side of the surface to the other. 'Through' would suggest moving inside something. 'Into' suggests entering, which does not fit the surface. 'Over' suggests being above, not on the surface.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “glide”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.