glide
/ɡlʌɪd
/verb
1 [no object, with adverbial of direction] Move with a smooth, quiet continuous motion: a few gondolas glided past...
- But she glided effortlessly past, clearly unimpressed.
- I watched him move across the kitchen, gliding in a perfect motion.
- I remember skating at night on empty outdoor rinks, gliding on the smooth surface in long arcs.
1.1 [with object and adverbial of direction] Move (something) with a smooth continuous motion: slide your hands firmly across the shoulders then glide them down...
- Slowly, I made my way downstairs, gliding my hand along the smooth wooden banister.
- Those of us who weren't heavy breathing had gone one stage further and were gliding a loving hand over the smooth, rounded bonnet.
- She dared me to go for some red lipstick, so I smoothed some chapstick on, then glided the blood-red stuff onto my lips.
2 [no object] Make an unpowered flight, either in a glider or in an aircraft with engine failure: students learning to glide...
- The aircraft then glided to a splashdown into the Pacific Ocean.
- After the successful test flight, Altair glided to a landing on the remote desert runway.
- I remember kicking off the side of the aircraft, gliding, and then popping my flotation.
2.1(Of a bird) fly with very little movement of the wings: (as adjective gliding) gulls are gliding birds...
- Both circled high over the estuary, sharply-pointed wings alternately flapping and gliding as the great birds searched for ducks and waders.
- An owl glided nearby, wings whispering upon the darkness, huge eyes searching for slight movements in the sea of darkness.
- In flight the wings have a ragged, moth-like appearance as this bird glides to and fro at a tremendous height.
Synonyms
soar, wheel, plane;
fly
noun [in singular]
1A gliding movement: the cuckoo makes its approach in a hawklike glide the Cessna started a gentle power-off glide...
- Then everything seemed to become compact and streamlined, his pace would quicken into a glide, rather than a sprint, and he would hit the ball like a smooth rock and be gone.
- It's still the thing kids learn to write with and it's the writing instrument favored by artists, architects and others who like the buttery glide of soft lead.
- But I figure that this will at least give me some frame of reference for the real thing, and that a leisurely glide down this course will permit me a small measure of confidence.
1.1A smooth continuous step in ballroom dancing.This style utilizes a glide step, and, rather than a perpetually upbeat approach, uses motions that ebb and flow with the mood of the music....
- You miss people looking at you like you're insane when you're glide stepping to French class with your French book on your head so you don't bounce while you march.
- They walk through the dancing couples; others dance, they walk, but they begin to walk in time, a lilting walk, almost a glide.
1.2A flight in a glider or unpowered aircraft: just within range for a straight glide home...
- Included in the presentation was video from the most recent SS1 glide flight, which took place just three days earlier.
- Then an eleven mile glide to the next good thermal.
- The wind was already blowing in a favorable direction so it took only the barest hint of his power to begin his glide.
2 Phonetics A sound produced as the vocal organs move towards or away from articulation of a vowel or consonant, for example j in duke djuːk.They are common in monosyllables and incorporate a glide before a vowel at a syllable boundary....
- Other rules would account for glide insertion and consonant sharing.
- The approximant r can also be regarded as a glide.
3 Cricket A glancing stroke which slightly deflects the ball, especially towards the leg side.No shot seemed to take effort once he'd passed fifty and he brought up three figures with a glide to third man, his second half-century taking 68 balls....
- Attempted a glide down to third man, and ended up edging it to slip
- In that same over, he followed with a directed glide to the point boundary.
Origin
Old English glīdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch glijden and German gleiten.