gliding

ADJECTIVE

flying

Synonyms

STRONGEST

aerial floating soaring

STRONG

drifting express flapping fleet fluttering hovering mobile plumed streaming swooping waving winging zooming

WEAK

aeronautical airborne avian mercurial on the wing speedy volant volar volitant

NOUN

flight

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arrival departure shuttle transport trip

STRONG

aeronautics aviation hop jump mounting navigation soaring voyage winging

WEAK

aerial navigation avigation takeoff volitation

Antonyms

STRONGEST

stay

WEAK

standing staying waiting

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for gliding?

The word gliding is the continuous (-ing) form of glide, and it can also be used as a modifier, as in gliding motion. Saying that something is gliding often means that it’s moving smoothly and often quickly over a surface, such as how an ice hockey puck travels over the ice. Similar words are sliding and coasting. The word skating is sometimes used in reference to how ice skates skate over ice. Gliding is also commonly used to mean a particular kind of flying. For example, when a bird is gliding, it’s said to be soaring (flying without flapping its wings). When it’s an aircraft (such as a glider) or something else, you could say it’s sailing through the air. Sometimes, saying that something is gliding in the air—like a ghost, for example—means not that it’s flying or soaring but rather that it’s floating or hovering (often right above a surface). Gliding is also sometimes used a bit more figuratively, such as to describe how a dancer moves across a stage. In this case, the movement isn’t gliding in the literal sense, but rather a graceful, fluid motion. Such movement could also be described as floating or, more fancily, lilting.

What is the opposite (antonym) of gliding?

Gliding refers to a smooth, continuous movement. The opposite is a jerky or stilted movement. Words that capture this are lurching and skittering.

How do you use gliding in a sentence?

Gliding is always used in the context of movement, but the exact type of movement varies, especially depending on where it happens and what’s doing the gliding. Here are some examples of gliding in a sentence:

The surface is perfectly smooth—perfect for gliding.
The hovercraft looks as if it’s gliding on the water.
She came gliding into the room as if carried by a cloud.
The hawk, gliding on the thermal updraft, soared for several minutes without flapping.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rather than flying like modern birds, these dinosaurs were probably adapted for gliding.

From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026

The lively Gregoire Arfeuil followed soon after, gliding onto Yoram Moefana's neat inside ball to give France a 14-5 lead.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Depending on your temperament, breaking things down by location may be enough to get you gliding from zone to zone.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Instead of gliding, he is “literally flying up the hill,” said Hans-Christer Holmberg, a professor at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

I wondered what they felt like gliding through the water.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

gliding

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

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