glide

Everyday

1. To glide is to move smoothly and quietly without effort, as if sliding. tree →
2. For a bird or plane, to glide is to fly through the air without flapping wings or using an engine. tree →
3. A glide is a smooth, sliding movement. tree →

In the lessons

In science, gliding shows how air holds up wings: gliders, paper planes and birds like eagles and albatrosses glide on air currents, slowly losing height. Sugar gliders and flying squirrels glide between trees. In stories the word makes movement look graceful or ghostly: a swan, a skater or a ghost glides. Phrases: glide across, glide through the air, glide down, glide past.

Examples

• The swan glided across the still lake. tree →
• The eagle glided high above the hills without flapping its wings. tree →
• We made paper planes and tested which one would glide the farthest. tree →
• The skaters glided around the ice rink. tree →
• A sugar glider can glide from one tree to another. tree →
• The boat glided silently into the harbour. tree →
• In the story, a ghost glided down the hall. tree →
• The ship glided past the castle. tree →

Note

Regular verb: glided, gliding (drop the e before -ing). A glider is a plane with no engine. Gliding is not really flying upward: a gliding thing slowly comes down unless rising warm air lifts it.