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glaze

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A transparent or semi-transparent layer of paint.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

glayz
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡleɪz

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A transparent or semi-transparent layer of paint.

  2. A smooth edible coating applied to food.

  3. ceramics

    The vitreous coating of pottery or porcelain; anything used as a coating or color in glazing.

  4. Any smooth, transparent layer or coating.

  5. A glazing oven; glost oven.

verb

  1. transitive

    To apply a thin, transparent layer of coating.

  2. Become glassy or take on a glass-like appearance

    “Her eyes glaze over when she is bored.”

  3. transitive

    To install windows.

  4. (transitive, intransitive, slang, derogatory, sometimes vulgar) To compliment or praise excessively in a cringeworthy way.

  5. intransitive

    To become glazed or glassy.

  6. intransitive

    Of eyes: to take on an uninterested appearance; to glaze over.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A transparent or semi-transparent layer of paint.

Used this way, glaze is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use glaze

  • “The potter glazed the dishes.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Vitreous

green glazeblack glazewhite glazeblue glaze

Other combinations

salt glazebrown glazelead glazeeyes glaze

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • glazedadjectiveInflected form

    Fitted or covered with glass.

  • glazernounInflected form

    Someone who cuts flat glass to size.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • glaze oververbCompound term

    Become glassy.

  • double-glazeverbCompound term

    Provide with two sheets of glass.

  • demi-glazenounCompound term

    Sauce Espagnole with extra beef stock simmered down and seasoned with dry wine or sherry.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.