English Reference
noun

glare

n.
US /ˈɡɫɛɹ/ UK /ɡlˈeə/ glare UK spelling glared, glares

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a very strong, bright light that hurts your eyes and makes it difficult to see.

    an intense, dazzling light that causes visual discomfort or reduces visibility.

    Simple

    The glare from the sun on the wet road made it hard to drive.

    In context

    The morning glare reflecting off the glass skyscrapers forced pedestrians to squint as they navigated the financial district.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a long, angry look at someone.

    a fierce or piercing look of hostility or disapproval.

    Simple

    She gave him a cold glare after he interrupted her for the third time.

    In context

    The librarian met the noisy students with a sharp glare that immediately silenced their conversation.

    scowlstarefrown

From Middle English glaren, from Old English glærian, from Proto-West Germanic glarōn. Cognate with dialectal Middle Dutch glariën (“to glisten; sparkle”), Low German glaren (“to shine brightly; glow; burn”), Middle High German glaren (“to shine brightly”). Related to glower, glass.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin gmw-pro *glāʀōn
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated