What does "glaze" mean?
The vitreous coating of pottery or porcelain; anything used as a coating or color in glazing.
Glaze
/ɡleɪz/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The vitreous coating of pottery or porcelain; anything used as a coating or color in glazing.
- Grammar: glaze is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: apply glaze, apply liquid, apply paint, bake.
- Useful contrasts: clay slip, deglaze, dry.
- Usage evidence: Place them on the baking sheet, then glaze them with egg yolk.
How to use "glaze"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "glaze" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "glaze" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "glaze" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "glaze" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "glaze" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "apply glaze" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "glaze", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The vitreous coating of pottery or porcelain; anything used as a coating or color in glazing. countable, uncountable
- 2 a coating for ceramics, metal, etc. wordnet
- 3 A transparent or semi-transparent layer of paint. countable, uncountable
- 4 a glossy finish on a fabric wordnet
- 5 A smooth coating of ice formed on objects due to the freezing of rain; glaze ice. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 any of various thin shiny (savory or sweet) coatings applied to foods wordnet
- 7 Any smooth, transparent layer or coating. countable, uncountable
"[…] In the distance the flowing glaze, the breast of the river, with a wind-dapple here and there, […]"
- 8 A smooth edible coating applied to food. countable, uncountable
- 9 Broth reduced by boiling to a gelatinous paste, and spread thinly over braised dishes. countable, uncountable
- 10 A glazing oven; glost oven. countable, uncountable
- 11 A window. Polari, countable, uncountable
- 12 Excessive complimenting or praise, especially in a cringeworthy way. countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To install windows. transitive
- 2 become glassy or take on a glass-like appearance wordnet
- 3 To apply a thin, transparent layer of coating. transitive
"to glaze a doughnut"
- 4 coat with a glaze wordnet
- 5 To become glazed or glassy. intransitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 coat with something sweet, such as a hard sugar glaze wordnet
- 7 Of eyes: to take on an uninterested appearance; to glaze over. intransitive
- 8 furnish with glass wordnet
- 9 To ejaculate onto someone's body. slang, transitive, vulgar
- 10 To compliment or praise excessively in a cringeworthy way. derogatory, intransitive, slang, sometimes, transitive, vulgar
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Place them on the baking sheet, then glaze them with egg yolk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "glaze"?
Common synonyms include: apply glaze, apply liquid, apply paint, bake, bedaub, bedizen.
How do you use "glaze" in a sentence?
Place them on the baking sheet, then glaze them with egg yolk.
How do you pronounce "glaze"?
Pronounced /ɡleɪz/.
Etymology
From Middle English glasen, from glas (“glass”) (Modern English glass), from Old English glæs, from Proto-Germanic *glasą. Related to glazen. In the sense of "overcompliment", originated in November 2021 and popularized throughout 2022, and allegedly "follows the visual of a donut being glazed". The noun is from the verb.