Marston BatesJohn IsraelIrwin Edman
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If you’re the type of word nerd who finds poring over book glossaries to be the bee’s knees, we know you’ll get a buzz from this gloss of the verb gloss. To gloss something, such as a word or phrase, is to explain or define it. The noun gloss, it follows, refers to (among other things) a brief explanation of a word or expression. And a glossary of course is a collection of textual glosses, or of specialized terms, with their meanings. Both forms of gloss, as well as the word glossary, trace back to the Greek noun glôssa, meaning “tongue,” “language,” or “obscure word requiring explanation.” Another descendent of glôssa, the English noun glossa, refers not to a bee’s knees but to a bee’s tongue, or to the tongue of another insect.
Examples of gloss in a Sentence
PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Each gloss glides on silky smooth, giving lips sheer-to-medium coverage with a buttery-soft feel.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Adrienne Matei, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2025
This year, as public patience wears thin, the city is trying a different tack: a PR campaign to gloss up the public image of lovebugs.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gloss
Cite this Entry
“Gloss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gloss. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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