gloss
/ɡlɒs/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡlɑːs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgläs ˈglȯs/ (ame, mw)
gloss — noun
- glosssingular
- glossesplural
1. a bright, smooth shine produced by light bouncing off a polished or healthy surf
a bright, smooth shine produced by light bouncing off a polished or healthy surface
Kofi rubbed beeswax into the table until the wood took on a deep gloss.
collocation: take on a gloss
After the rain stopped, the leaves in Renata's garden had a fresh, wet gloss.
collocation: wet gloss
Astrid noticed the healthy gloss on her horse's coat after weeks of better feeding.
The salesman polished the red car until it had a mirror-like gloss.
Adaeze loved the soft gloss of the pearls she had inherited from her grandmother.
文法句型
the gloss of [noun]
have a gloss
用法筆記
Often uncountable for the general property of shininess, but can take 'a' when picking out one instance (a deep gloss, a fresh gloss). Subject is usually a smooth, hard, or healthy surface.
常見錯誤
2. a type of paint that dries with a hard, reflective finish, often used on woodwor
a type of paint that dries with a hard, reflective finish, often used on woodwork and metal indoors
Rohan painted the kitchen door with white gloss before the holidays.
collocation: paint with gloss
Maeve asked the decorator to use gloss on the skirting boards and matt on the walls.
contrast: gloss vs matt
The radiator needs another coat of gloss because the first one was patchy.
Christopher prefers gloss for window frames because it's easier to wipe clean.
Hyun bought two tins of dark green gloss for the garden shed.
文法句型
a coat of gloss
in gloss / in matt
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (the shine itself): this sense names the paint product, often contrasted with 'matt' or 'satin' on a paint tin. Object is usually woodwork, doors, or metal surfaces.
常見錯誤
3. a beauty product, especially for the lips or hair, that gives a shiny, often sli
a beauty product, especially for the lips or hair, that gives a shiny, often slightly coloured look
Élise dropped her favourite cherry gloss between the seats of the taxi.
collocation: cherry / strawberry gloss
Harper applied a clear gloss before the wedding photos were taken.
collocation: apply gloss
The salon offers a herbal hair gloss that leaves the hair looking healthy and shiny.
Shirin keeps a small tube of pink lip gloss in her school bag.
Eve borrowed her sister's gloss before going out to meet her friends.
文法句型
lip gloss
hair gloss
用法筆記
Most often appears in fixed compounds like 'lip gloss' or 'hair gloss'. Subject of verbs like 'apply', 'wear', 'put on'; not used for paint or wood.
常見錯誤
4. a short note that says what a difficult or old-fashioned word or phrase means, o
a short note that says what a difficult or old-fashioned word or phrase means, often printed beside the text or at the bottom of the page
Michael's edition of Chaucer prints a helpful gloss in the margin of every page.
collocation: a gloss in the margin
Heather added a short gloss explaining the Latin phrase to her undergraduate students.
pattern: a gloss explaining [phrase]
Joshua found a fifteenth-century gloss on the manuscript pointing out a scribal error.
The professor recommended an edition of Beowulf with full glosses beside every line.
Niran wrote a gloss for each rare word so younger readers could follow the poem.
- annotation
broader; any added note, not only of meaning
- footnote
specifically a note at the bottom of a page
- explanation
everyday word; not tied to texts or margins
文法句型
a gloss on [word/phrase]
provide a gloss
用法筆記
Subject is usually an editor, scholar, or translator; common in academic and editorial contexts. Distinguish from sense 5 (deceptive surface meaning): a sense-4 gloss is a neutral helpful note, not a misleading spin.
常見錯誤
5. an attractive outer appearance — or a way of describing things — that hides seri
an attractive outer appearance — or a way of describing things — that hides serious problems underneath, for example, a company brochure that makes a tough working environment sound exciting
Amelia saw past the gloss of the brochure and asked the manager about staff turnover.
pattern: see past the gloss
The campaign added a gloss of friendliness over policies that hurt the poorest families.
pattern: a gloss of [quality]
Behind the gloss of the resort photos, the staff worked sixteen-hour days for low pay.
Sivan's report stripped the gloss off the agency's official summary of the disaster.
Evelyn refused to put a gloss on the bad results when she briefed the board.
文法句型
a gloss of [noun]
put a gloss on [noun]
用法筆記
Often pejorative; the speaker disapproves of the dressing-up. Frequently appears as 'put a gloss on', 'a gloss of', or 'behind the gloss'. Distinguish from sense 1 (a real physical shine): this sense is figurative — there is no actual surface to polish.
常見錯誤
gloss — verb
- glosspresent simple I / you / we / they
- glosses3rd person singular
- glossing-ing form
- glossedpast simple
1. to write a short note explaining what a difficult or old-fashioned word or phras
to write a short note explaining what a difficult or old-fashioned word or phrase means in a text
Adisa glossed the Old English term in a footnote so beginners could follow the chapter.
pattern: gloss [word] in a footnote
The translator carefully glossed every legal phrase that had no direct Mandarin equivalent.
subject: editor / translator
Kabir glossed the rare word as 'a small bird-shaped lamp' in the margin.
Editors usually gloss unfamiliar place names so younger readers know where the story happens.
Tariq glossed the Sanskrit terms for his English-speaking class before they read the poem.
文法句型
gloss [word/phrase]
gloss [word] as [meaning]
用法筆記
Academic / editorial register. Subject is usually an editor, scholar, translator, or teacher. Object is a word, phrase, or short passage — not a whole book.
常見錯誤
2. to cover a wooden or metal surface with gloss paint so that it dries hard and sh
to cover a wooden or metal surface with gloss paint so that it dries hard and shiny
Manuela glossed all the bedroom doors last weekend before her cousins arrived.
subject: amateur decorator
Gabriel sanded the window frames carefully and then glossed them in pure white.
pattern: gloss [surface] in [colour]
We need to gloss the garden bench again because last year's coat has flaked off.
Erik plans to gloss the kitchen cupboards on Saturday while the children are at football.
文法句型
gloss [surface]
用法筆記
Mostly British and informal — common in DIY contexts. Object is usually a wooden or metal surface (doors, frames, skirting boards). Distinguish from sense 1 (writing a note): this sense involves a paintbrush.
常見錯誤
3. to talk or write about something serious in a way that makes it sound less bad —
to talk or write about something serious in a way that makes it sound less bad — for example, a leader skipping over a scandal in a short, casual remark
The minister glossed over the cost of the project and moved straight to the launch date.
phrasal pattern: gloss over [topic]
Reuben glossed over his own role in the accident when his parents asked what happened.
The textbook glosses the violence of the colonial period in just three short paragraphs.
Abigail refused to gloss the bad news; she told the team exactly how much money was lost.
Quinn's report glosses over key safety failures that should have been investigated.
文法句型
gloss over [something]
gloss [problem]
用法筆記
Most often takes 'over' as a phrasal particle: 'gloss over' a problem, a mistake, a difficult fact. Subject is usually a person in a position of responsibility — politician, manager, author, narrator — and the speaker disapproves of the evasion.