gloat over

IPA/ɡlˈəʊt ˈəʊvə/
IPA/ɡlˈoʊt ˈoʊvɚ/

gloat over — phrasal verb

  • gloat overbase form
  • gloats over3rd person singular
  • gloating over-ing form
  • gloated overpast simple

1. to show or feel an exaggerated sense of happiness about your own good luck, succ

1.phrasal verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to show or feel an exaggerated sense of happiness about your own good luck, success, or advantage when someone else has failed or suffered, often in a way that seems unkind or disrespectful.

Example

After Eitan's team won the championship, he could not stop gloating over their rivals' defeat.

gloat over + noun phrase for someone's failure

Lucía hated how her colleague kept gloating over her small mistake.

kept gloating over + possessive + noun

Common collocations
  • gloat over a rival's defeat
  • gloat over someone's failure
  • gloat over an opponent's loss
  • gloat over a mistake
Synonyms
  • revel in

    more neutral — can describe enjoying positive things too

  • crow about

    informal, emphasises boasting out loud

  • take delight in

    more formal and can be neutral, but similar sense of pleasure

Antonyms
  • commiserate

    to express sympathy for someone else's misfortune

Grammar Patterns

gloat over + noun phrase

gloat over + gerund

Usage Note

Frequently carries a negative judgment from the speaker — describing someone as gloating implies that their pleasure is inappropriate or unkind. The object after 'over' is typically a person's failure, bad luck, or disadvantage.

Common Mistakes

She gloated over that he failed the exam.
She gloated over his failure in the exam.
'gloat over' takes a noun or gerund, not a that-clause.
He gloated over to beat his opponent.
He gloated over beating his opponent.
'gloat over' is followed by a noun or gerund, not a to-infinitive.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

'Gloat over' is the most negatively charged of this group — it specifically implies taking pleasure in another person's failure or misfortune. 'Revel in' is broader: you can revel in success, attention, or good weather without any unkindness. 'Crow about' is informal and suggests loud, boastful talk rather than quiet satisfaction. 'Take delight in' is more formal and can be positive or negative depending on context. 'Boast about' focuses on pride in your own achievements, not necessarily at someone else's expense. For example, you might boast about a promotion (focus on you) but gloat over a colleague being passed over (focus on their loss).

revel in ↗crow abouttake delight in ↗boast about

Etymology

ScandinavianEnglish

'Gloat' first appeared in English around the 1500s, possibly from a Scandinavian root meaning 'to stare or grin'. The sense of watching someone else's misfortune with satisfaction emerged later. The particle 'over' joined the verb by the 1800s to mark the target of the feeling.