Basic+ Word of the Day: glide

glide (verb) past tense: glided

Gliding to earth on a hang glider.

Glide means ‘to move smoothly, as if without effort.’

• The ice skater glides across the frozen lake.
• The ballet dancer glided across the stage.

Glide also means ‘to move through the air by the action of air currents and gravity.’

• The hot air balloon glides through the air.
• The skilled pilot glided the airplane to a safe landing.

Did you know?

The Glide is a dance move. And in case you want to learn how to do it, here is a tutorial:

Related words

glider (or hang glider): an aircraft without a motor that uses air currents and gravity. Example: “They launched the glider from the top of the hill.”

In pop culture

Watch this compilation of Michael Jackson’s slides and glides. Can you tell which are the slides and which are the glides?

There are other meanings of glide.