often attributive
1
: any of various amorphous materials formed from a melt by cooling to rigidity without crystallization: such as
a
: a usually transparent or translucent material consisting typically of a mixture of silicates
b
: a material (such as obsidian) produced by fast cooling of magma
2
b(1)
: an optical instrument or device that has one or more lenses and is designed to aid in the viewing of objects not readily seen
(2)
: field glasses, binoculars
—usually used in plural
c
glasses plural
: a device used to correct defects of vision or to protect the eyes that consists typically of a pair of glass or plastic lenses and the frame by which they are held in place
called also eyeglasses, spectacles
3
: the quantity held by a glass container
4
5
: crystal meth
specifically
: a pure form of crystal meth
glassed; glassing; glasses
1
a
: to provide with glass : glaze sense 1
b
: to enclose, case, or wall with glass
the sunroom was glassed in
2
: to make glassy
3
a
: reflect
b
: to see mirrored
4
: to look at through an optical instrument (such as a pair of binoculars)
Synonyms
Examples of glass in a Sentence
Noun
The waiter filled our glasses with water.
She drank two glasses of water.
She was wearing dark glasses with thick black frames.
Recent Examples on the Web
Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024
Credit union employees told police a tall woman with curly gray hair and glasses, dressed in a gray shirt, sweatpants and a COVID-19 mask, had entered the bank.
—The Enquirer, 25 Apr. 2024
The 19 guest suites are incredibly chic, with glass and wood detailing, herringbone upholstered bed frames, personal libraries, and in some cases, spacious terraces.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Right on cue, amid the many games being played during lunchtime on the middle school campus, there was a kid wearing glasses and long pants receiving a high five from another kid in shorts who looked like the school’s soccer star.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Researchers determined this would help stabilize the glass, which hadn’t been exposed to the atmosphere for centuries.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Using thin strands of glass to transmit data with light, fiber networks have become the backbone of high-speed internet service.
—Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
Experts also weighed in with tips for brewing the perfect glass.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2024
The Meta glasses don’t promise everything under the sun.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 23 Apr. 2024
Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
The Pirates prefer to glass the offensive glass and score off turnovers, similar to the Longhorns.
—Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 14 Mar. 2023
Kentuckians collect the Kentucky Derby glasses their mint juleps are served in at Churchill Downs and carry them home in stacks.
—Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 24 Apr. 2023
The former traffic cop pushes her tortoiseshell glasses up her nose and surveys her class of property managers and landlords, who have so far failed to match her pep at 9 in the morning.
—Jack Ross, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2023
Our fingers take a little while to get used to glass.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 25 Sep. 2017
Climate activists in Austria on Tuesday attacked a famous painting by artist Gustav Klimt with a black, oily liquid and one then glued himself to glass protecting the painting’s frame.
—Kirsten Grieshaber, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2022
As businesses switch from plastic containers to glass to meet their sustainable packaging goals, competition for bottles is intensifying.
—Carol Ryan, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022
In 1825, the Boston Sandwich Glass Company relocated to Cape Cod because the sand lends itself nicely to glass blowing.
—Lea Lane, Forbes, 6 July 2022
Noun
The amazing treatment on the dial looks like cracked glass.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024
Credit union employees told police a tall woman with curly gray hair and glasses, dressed in a gray shirt, sweatpants and a COVID-19 mask, had entered the bank.
—The Enquirer, 25 Apr. 2024
The 19 guest suites are incredibly chic, with glass and wood detailing, herringbone upholstered bed frames, personal libraries, and in some cases, spacious terraces.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Right on cue, amid the many games being played during lunchtime on the middle school campus, there was a kid wearing glasses and long pants receiving a high five from another kid in shorts who looked like the school’s soccer star.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Researchers determined this would help stabilize the glass, which hadn’t been exposed to the atmosphere for centuries.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Using thin strands of glass to transmit data with light, fiber networks have become the backbone of high-speed internet service.
—Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
Experts also weighed in with tips for brewing the perfect glass.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2024
The Meta glasses don’t promise everything under the sun.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 23 Apr. 2024
Verb
So take a day or two off from hunting, drive around, and glass these food sources to find out which ones the deer are really hammering.
—Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
The Pirates prefer to glass the offensive glass and score off turnovers, similar to the Longhorns.
—Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 14 Mar. 2023
Kentuckians collect the Kentucky Derby glasses their mint juleps are served in at Churchill Downs and carry them home in stacks.
—Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 24 Apr. 2023
The former traffic cop pushes her tortoiseshell glasses up her nose and surveys her class of property managers and landlords, who have so far failed to match her pep at 9 in the morning.
—Jack Ross, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2023
Our fingers take a little while to get used to glass.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 25 Sep. 2017
Climate activists in Austria on Tuesday attacked a famous painting by artist Gustav Klimt with a black, oily liquid and one then glued himself to glass protecting the painting’s frame.
—Kirsten Grieshaber, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2022
As businesses switch from plastic containers to glass to meet their sustainable packaging goals, competition for bottles is intensifying.
—Carol Ryan, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022
In 1825, the Boston Sandwich Glass Company relocated to Cape Cod because the sand lends itself nicely to glass blowing.
—Lea Lane, Forbes, 6 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near glass
Cite this Entry
“Glass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glass. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
glass
1 of 2 noun1
: a hard brittle usually transparent substance commonly formed by melting a mixture of sand and chemicals and cooling to hardness
2
a
: something (as a water tumbler, lens, mirror, barometer, or telescope) that is made of glass or has a glass lens
b
plural
: a pair of glass or plastic lenses held in a frame and used to help one see clearly or to protect the eyes
3
: the quantity held by a glass
glass
2 of 2 verb
: to fit or protect with glass
Medical Definition
glass
nounoften attributive
1
a
: an amorphous inorganic usually transparent or translucent substance consisting of a mixture of silicates or sometimes borates or phosphates formed by fusion of silica or of oxides of boron or phosphorus with a flux and a stabilizer into a mass that cools to a rigid condition without crystallization
b
: a substance resembling glass especially in hardness and transparency
organic glasses made from plastics
2
a
: an optical instrument or device that has one or more lenses and is designed to aid in the viewing of objects not readily seen
b
glasses plural
: a device used to correct defects of vision or to protect the eyes that consists typically of a pair of glass or plastic lenses and the frame by which they are held in place
called also eyeglasses
Biographical Definition
Glass
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Philip 1937– American composer
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