glad

1 of 3

adjective

gladder; gladdest
1
a
: experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight : made happy
b
: very willing
glad to do it
c
: made pleased, satisfied, or grateful
often used with of
was glad of their help
2
a
: marked by, expressive of, or caused by happiness and joy
a glad shout
b
: causing happiness and joy : pleasant
glad tidings
3
: full of brightness and cheerfulness
a glad spring morning
4
archaic : having a cheerful or happy disposition by nature
gladly adverb
gladness noun

glad

2 of 3

verb

gladded; gladding
archaic

glad

3 of 3

noun

Examples of glad in a Sentence

Adjective We're glad you could come. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. The mail brought glad news from our friends in England. We've been through some sad times and some glad times. Verb it hath gladded my heart to see thy face again
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
My waiter was always glad to bring one, conveniently in a bag, to nibble on for the rest of the day. Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2024 Conservative residents were glad to hear Trump talking about their community. Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
His latest project is the Temple Grove, a wildly beautiful corner of the garden in a glads of high trees. Town & Country, 28 Apr. 2023 Neither glads nor dahlias are fussy about starting soil. Jeff Lowenfels | Alaska Gardening and Growing, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for glad 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English, shining, glad, from Old English glæd; akin to Old High German glat shining, smooth, Latin glaber smooth, bald

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glad was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near glad

Cite this Entry

“Glad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glad. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

glad

adjective
ˈglad
gladder; gladdest
1
a
: experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight : made happy
glad things turned out well
b
: made pleased, satisfied, or grateful
was glad of their help
c
: very willing
glad to do it
2
a
: marked by, expressive of, or caused by happiness
a glad shout
b
: causing happiness and joy : pleasant
glad tidings
3
: full of brightness and cheerfulness
a glad spring morning
gladly adverb
gladness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on glad

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!