Word
gloat
US/ˈɡɫoʊt/
UK/ɡlˈəʊt/
Definition
v. to feel happy about someone else's bad luck or failure, and show it in an unkind way.
v. to take visible delight in another person's misfortune or defeat, often with an air of triumph.
Examples
“She gloats when her team wins the game.”
“After winning the bet, he could not resist calling his brother to gloat about the final score.”
“The losing candidate accused his rival of choosing to gloat in the victory speech rather than offering the customary gesture of reconciliation.”
Examples
simple
“She gloats when her team wins the game.”
contextual
“After winning the bet, he could not resist calling his brother to gloat about the final score.”
complex
“The losing candidate accused his rival of choosing to gloat in the victory speech rather than offering the customary gesture of reconciliation.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “gloat” in context.
Verb
01. gloat about
“She gloated about her promotion in front of the whole office.”
verb + prep
02. gloat over
“He kept gloating over his opponent's mistake during the match.”
verb + prep
Adjective
03. openly gloat
“He openly gloated when his rival missed the penalty in the final.”
adv + verb
04. secretly gloat
“She secretly gloated when her colleague's presentation went badly.”
adv + verb
05. shamelessly gloat
“They shamelessly gloated after winning the election by a landslide.”
adv + verb
Noun
06. bit of gloating
“There was a bit of gloating in the locker room after the win.”
noun + prep + noun
07. moment of gloating
“He allowed himself a brief moment of gloating after the results.”
noun + prep + noun
08. cannot resist gloating
“She could not resist gloating when her team scored again.”
09. gloat over a rival's defeat
“The fans gloated over a rival's defeat in the semifinal.”
10. gloat over someone's failure
“It's cruel to gloat over someone's failure in an exam.”
11. openly gloat about winning
“He openly gloated about winning the debate competition.”
Usage
Intransitive; commonly followed by 'over', 'about', or 'at' to mark the source of satisfaction.
Real-World Examples
“Widespread revulsion over Britain's phone hacking scandal could have far-reaching implications for media rivals who might otherwise be tempted to gloat over the problems of press baron Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp empire.” “The Times’ third-quarter earnings almost doubled analysts’ expectations, giving the paper a chance to gloat about the big hit Morgan Stanley took a week ago by selling its stake in the company.” Etymology
From Middle English gloten, glouten, from Old Norse glotta (“to grin, smile scornfully”) or Old English glotian, both from Proto-Germanic glutōną (“to stare”), from Proto-Indo-European gʰel- (“to shine”), related to dialectal Swedish glotta, glutta (“to peep”), Middle High German glutzen, glotzen (“to stare”), Modern German glotzen (“to gawk, goggle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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