glower

verb

glow·er | \ ˈglau̇(-ə)r , nonstandard ˈglō(-ə)r \

glowered; glowering; glowers

Definition of glower

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to look or stare with sullen annoyance or anger glowered at the noisy children in the library

glower

noun

Definition of glower (Entry 2 of 2)

: a sullen brooding look of annoyance or anger

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about glower

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Synonyms & Antonyms for glower

Synonyms: Verb

frown, glare, gloom, lower (also lour), scowl

Antonyms: Verb

beam, grin, smile

Did You Know?

Verb

Do words of uncertain origin make you scowl? If so, glower may put a frown on your face because only part of its history can be validated. The well-established part of its story leads us to Scotland, where glower (or glowren, to use the older Scottish form of the word) has been used since the late Middle Ages. Originally, the word meant simply "to look intently" or "to stare in amazement," but by the late 1700s, glowering stares were being associated with anger instead of astonishment. Beyond that, however, the history of the word is murky. The most we can say is that glower is a distant relative of Middle Low German glūren, which means "to be overcast," and of Middle Dutch gloeren, meaning "to leer."

Examples of glower in a Sentence

Verb

The librarian glowered at us when she heard us laughing. baseball fans glowering at their TVs as they watched their favorite team lose

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The region’s weather picture is changing dramatically Tuesday with sunshine being replaced by glowering clouds heralding thunderstorms, possible localized flooding, and heavy rains especially in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. — John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, "Heavy rains across region, especially in Bristol and Plymouth counties and Newport, R.I.," 13 Aug. 2019 Mark is convinced that one of the Harga men, who’s glowering at him across the way, is going to kill him for pissing on the ancestral tree. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Midsommar’s twisted ending, explained," 3 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for glower

glower

verb

English Language Learners Definition of glower

: to look at someone or something in an angry way

See the full definition for glower in the English Language Learners Dictionary

glower

verb

glow·er | \ ˈglau̇-ər

glowered; glowering

Kids Definition of glower

: to stare angrily : scowl

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glower

Definition of glower

Synonyms & Antonyms for glower

Did You Know?

Examples of glower in a Sentence

First Known Use of glower

History and Etymology for glower

English Language Learners Definition of glower

Kids Definition of glower

glower

Definition of glower

Synonyms & Antonyms for glower

Did You Know?

Examples of glower in a Sentence

First Known Use of glower

History and Etymology for glower

English Language Learners Definition of glower

Kids Definition of glower

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