gliding
gliding — noun
1. the hobby or sport of travelling through the air in a light aircraft with no eng
the hobby or sport of travelling through the air in a light aircraft with no engine
Talia joined a gliding club after seeing silent aircraft over the valley.
gliding club = organisation for the sport
Weekend gliding is popular at the airfield outside Christchurch each summer.
Reuben saved for months to try gliding during his holiday in Wales.
try gliding for first experience of the sport
The festival offered gliding lessons for teenagers who loved outdoor sports.
- go gliding
- gliding club
- gliding lesson
- gliding weekend
- take up gliding
- soaring
often used for the silent, engine-free side of the activity, especially in aviation contexts
- sailplaning
a more technical aviation term for glider flying
Grammar Patterns
go + gliding
take up + gliding
gliding + lesson / club / trip
Usage Note
Usually treated as an uncountable activity noun. Speakers often use it after verbs like 'go', 'try', and 'take up', especially when talking about the sport as a leisure activity.
Common Mistakes
2. a smooth movement in which someone or something keeps sliding forward with very
a smooth movement in which someone or something keeps sliding forward with very little effort
The swan's gliding across the lake looked calm in the early light.
gliding across + surface for smooth motion
Everyone watched the dancer's gliding as the music grew softer.
The canoe's gliding through the reeds barely disturbed the water.
gliding through + place for quiet movement
Sayaka loved the gliding of the sled over fresh snow.
- gentle gliding
- the gliding of a swan
- gliding through the reeds
- gliding over snow
Grammar Patterns
the gliding of + noun
gliding across / through + place
Usage Note
This sense talks about the movement itself, not the air sport. It often appears with the pattern 'the gliding of ...' when a speaker wants to focus on how smooth the motion looks.
gliding — verb
- glidingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- glidings3rd person singular
- glidinging-ing form
- glidingedpast simple
1. to move in a smooth, quiet way with no sudden effort or shaking
to move in a smooth, quiet way with no sudden effort or shaking
The swan was gliding across the lake while Chidi fed the ducks.
glide across + surface for smooth movement
A silver train came gliding into the station just after sunrise.
come gliding into + place for graceful arrival
Elise stepped onto the ice and went gliding past the children.
Dry leaves were gliding along the road after the morning wind.
- glide across the lake
- glide into the room
- glide along the floor
- come gliding past
Grammar Patterns
glide across / over / along + place
come / go + gliding
Usage Note
This is the broad movement sense. It often suggests grace, silence, or ease, and it works with living things, vehicles, and objects that seem to move without strain.
Common Mistakes
2. to pass so slowly and quietly that the change is hardly noticed
to pass so slowly and quietly that the change is hardly noticed
The afternoon was gliding by while Tanvi read beside the window.
glide by for time passing almost unnoticed
Spring seemed to be gliding into summer before Christopher noticed the heat.
glide into + new period for gradual change
The years came gliding past after Vinicius moved back to Recife.
One topic kept gliding into another during the tired late-night interview.
- glide by
- glide into summer
- glide past unnoticed
- glide into another topic
- drag
feel painfully slow and very noticeable
- arrive abruptly
happen suddenly rather than gradually
Grammar Patterns
glide by
glide into + period / state
glide past
Usage Note
Commonly used with time, seasons, or gradual transitions. Unlike MOVE SMOOTHLY, this sense focuses on how little you notice the passing or change while it is happening.
Common Mistakes
3. to come down through the air little by little while staying under control
to come down through the air little by little while staying under control
The small plane was gliding toward the runway after the engine stopped.
glide toward + runway in a controlled descent
From the hilltop, Eri watched the white aircraft gliding down to land.
The pilot kept gliding lower until the wheels touched the grass.
glide lower until landing
A hawk came gliding toward the field before settling on the fence.
- glide toward the runway
- glide down to land
- glide lower
- glide into the field
- soar down
can describe a bird descending on air currents, though it sounds less controlled
- coast down
suggests losing height smoothly with little power
Grammar Patterns
glide toward + runway
glide down to + place
glide lower
Usage Note
This sense is about coming down, especially before landing. It differs from FLY A GLIDER because the focus is the gradual descent, not the activity of using a glider as a sport.
4. to travel through the air in a light aircraft that has no engine
to travel through the air in a light aircraft that has no engine
Folake started gliding with a local club near Cape Town last year.
start gliding for beginning the sport
Emre spent Sunday gliding above the coast with an instructor.
glide above + place during the sport
The cousins were gliding over farmland for nearly an hour.
After one lesson, Niran was already gliding confidently over the valley.
- go gliding
- glide above the coast
- glide over the valley
- learn gliding
Grammar Patterns
go gliding
glide above / over + place
start gliding
Usage Note
Often used for the sport or activity itself, especially with places and instructors. Unlike DESCEND GENTLY, this sense covers the whole period of being in the glider, not only the landing phase.
Common Mistakes
5. to let one note or sound slide gently into the next one
to let one note or sound slide gently into the next one
During rehearsal, the singer was gliding from one note to the next.
glide from one note to the next
The violinist kept gliding into the note for a softer opening.
glide into a note for a smooth entrance
In class, the coach demonstrated gliding between the two vowel sounds.
Sayaka practised gliding up at the end of each question.
- glide from note to note
- glide into a vowel
- glide up at the end
- glide between sounds
Grammar Patterns
glide from one note to another
glide into + sound / note
Usage Note
Used in music, singing, and pronunciation work. The idea is that the sound changes continuously instead of jumping sharply from one pitch or vowel to another.
6. to move something smoothly so it slides along a surface or through the air
to move something smoothly so it slides along a surface or through the air
The waiter was gliding the tray across the table to Folake.
glide + object + across + surface
Two stagehands were gliding the piano platform into place before the show.
glide + object + into place
Niran kept gliding the drawer shut with his foot.
The nurse was gliding the curtain closed around the bed.
- glide the tray across the table
- glide the platform into place
- glide the drawer shut
- glide the curtain closed
Grammar Patterns
glide + object + across / into / shut
glide + object + into place
Usage Note
This causative sense takes a direct object. If there is no object and the subject is the thing moving itself, use MOVE SMOOTHLY instead.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Glide suggests smooth, controlled movement with very little noise or effort. Drift is looser and more passive: something drifts when air or water carries it, and the mover has less control. Float focuses on staying up in air or water, not necessarily moving forward very much. Slide usually involves direct contact with a surface and can sound more mechanical or accidental. A swan can glide across a lake, a balloon can float above a street, and a leaf can drift down a stream. If a box moves because someone pushes it over a floor, slide is usually the better choice. Use glide when the motion looks steady, graceful, and almost effortless.
Etymology
Gliding is the -ing form of glide. Glide comes from Old English glidan, meaning to slip or move smoothly, and it is related to other Germanic words with the same idea of quiet, even motion. Modern English uses gliding both for smooth movement in general and for the sport of flying an engine-free aircraft.
First known use
12th century
12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1 Noun