glasses
Where are my glasses?
an object that you wear in front of your eyes to help you see better You usually get your glasses from an optician
Where are my glasses?
Oxford Essential Dictionary
glasses
noun (plural)
two pieces of glass or plastic (called lenses) in a frame that people wear over their eyes to help them see better:
Does she wear glasses?
Look also at sunglasses.
grammar
Be careful! You cannot say 'a glasses'. You can say a pair of glasses: I need a new pair of glasses or I need some new glasses.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
glass
I. glass1 S1 W1 /ɡlɑːs $ ɡlæs/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑glass, glasses, ↑glassful, ↑glassware; adjective: glass, ↑glassy]
[Language: Old English; Origin: glæs]
1. TRANSPARENT MATERIAL [uncountable] a transparent solid substance used for making windows, bottles etc:
a glass bowl
a piece of broken glass
pane/sheet of glass (=a flat piece of glass with straight edges)
the cathedral’s stained glass windows
2.
FOR DRINKING [countable] a container used for drinking made of glass ⇨ cup
wine/brandy/champagne etc glass
Nigel raised his glass in a toast to his son.
3. AMOUNT OF LIQUID [countable] the amount of a drink contained in a glass
glass of
She poured a glass of wine.
4
FOR EYES glasses [plural] two pieces of specially cut glass or plastic in a frame, which you wear in order to see more clearly SYN spectacles:
He was clean-shaven and wore glasses.
I need a new pair of glasses.
distance/reading glasses ⇨ ↑dark glasses, ↑field glasses
GRAMMAR
Glasses is plural, even when it refers to a single object. Do not say 'a glasses’:
▪ She’s got nice (NOT a nice) glasses.
5. GLASS OBJECTS [uncountable] objects which are made of glass, especially ones used for drinking and eating:
a priceless collection of Venetian glass
6. people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones used to say that you should not criticize someone for having a fault if you have the same fault yourself
7. somebody sees the glass as half-empty/half-full used to say that a particular person is more likely to notice the good parts or the bad parts of a situation
8. under glass plants that are grown under glass are protected from the cold by a glass cover
9. MIRROR [countable] old-fashioned a mirror
10. the glass old-fashioned a ↑barometer
⇨ ↑cut glass, ↑ground glass, ↑looking glass, ↑magnifying glass, ↑plate glass, ↑safety glass, ↑stained glass, ⇨ raise your glass at ↑raise1(16)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + glass
▪ broken glass She cleaned up the broken glass with a dustpan and brush.
▪ stained glass (=glass of different colours used in windows) He designed the stained glass windows of Coventry Cathedral.
▪ tinted glass (=coloured rather than completely transparent) The car had tinted glass.
▪ frosted glass (=glass with a rough surface so that it is not transparent) The bathroom windows were made of frosted glass.
▪ clear glass (=that you can see through rather than being coloured) The drink comes in clear glass bottles.
▪ plate glass (=big pieces of glass made in large thick sheets, used especially in shop windows) Vandals smashed a plate glass window.
▪ safety glass (=strong glass that breaks into small pieces that are not sharp) The company makes safety glass for car windows.
■ glass + NOUN
▪ a glass bottle/bowl/vase etc Glass bottles can be recycled very easily.
▪ a glass window/door The doors had two round glass windows in them.
■ phrases
▪ a piece of glass He cut his foot on a piece of glass.
▪ a shard/splinter of glass (=a sharp piece of broken glass) People were injured by shards of glass following the explosion.
▪ a fragment of glass (=a small piece of glass that has broken off) Fragments of glass covered the floor near the broken window.
▪ a pane of glass (=a piece of glass used in a window) There was a broken pane of glass in the kitchen window.
▪ a sheet of glass (=a piece of flat glass) Sheets of glass were used as shelves.
■ verbs
▪ glass breaks This type of glass doesn’t break easily.
▪ glass shatters (=break into small pieces) When glass shatters, it leaves jagged edges.
▪ glass cracks Glass will crack if too much pressure is put on it.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 4)
■ verbs
▪ wear glasses I didn’t know you wore glasses.
▪ put on your glasses He put on his glasses and read through the instructions.
▪ take off/remove your glasses Elsie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
▪ wipe/clean your glasses Harry wiped his glasses with the corner of a handkerchief.
▪ break your glasses I broke my glasses when I accidentally sat on them.
■ phrases
▪ a pair of glasses She was wearing a new pair of glasses.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + glasses
▪ dark glasses (=sunglasses) She wore a scarf over her head and dark glasses.
▪ reading glasses (=for reading) She looked at him over the frames of her reading glasses.
▪ distance glasses (=for seeing things that are not close to you) Without her distance glasses she couldn't see his expression.
▪ tinted glasses (=with coloured glass) He always wore a pair of tinted glasses.
▪ steel-/horn-/gold-rimmed glasses (=with frames made of steel etc) He was a thin little guy with gold-rimmed glasses.
▪ thick glasses (=with lenses that are thick) She peered up at them through thick glasses.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
glass
glass [glass glasses glassed glassing] noun, verb [ɡlɑːs] [ɡlæs]
noun
TRANSPARENT SUBSTANCE
1. uncountable a hard, usually transparent, substance used, for example, for making windows and bottles
• a sheet/pane of glass
• frosted/toughened glass
• a glass bottle/dish/roof
• I cut myself on a piece of broken glass.
• The vegetables are grown under glass (= in a greenhouse ).
see also cut glass, plate glass, stained glass, glazier
FOR DRINKING
2. countable (often in compounds) a container made of glass, used for drinking out of
• a sherry glass
• a wine glass
3. countable the contents of a glass
• a glass of sherry/wine/water, etc.
• He drank three whole glasses.
GLASS OBJECTS
4. uncountable objects made of glass
• We keep all our glass and china in this cupboard.
• She has a fine collection of Bohemian glass.
5. singular a protecting cover made of glass on a watch, picture or photograph frame, fire alarm, etc
• In case of emergency, break the glass and press the button.
FOR EYES
6. glasses (NAmE also eye·glasses) (also old-fashioned or formal spec·tacles, informal specs especially in BrE) plural two lenses in a frame that rests on the nose and ears. People wear glasses in order to be able to see better or to protect their eyes from bright light
• a pair of glasses
• dark glasses
• I wear glasses for driving.
see also field glasses, magnifying glass, sunglasses
MIRROR
7. countable, usually singular (old-fashioned) a mirror
see also looking glass
BAROMETER
8. the glass singular a barometer
see people (who live) in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at people n., raise your glass at raise v.
Word Origin:
Old English glæs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch glas and German Glas.
Example Bank:
• He could see the light through the frosted glass.
• He had a small glass of lager with his meal.
• He heard glasses clinking in the other room.
• He poured her a fresh glass of sherry.
• He sat back, glass in hand.
• I handed her a glass of wine.
• I put my glass down on the table.
• She cut her foot on some glass.
• She had had three glasses of whisky already.
• She raised the glass to her lips.
• She sat sipping a glass of champagne.
• The books were all behind glass.
• The butler was polishing the brandy glasses.
• The factory makes safety glass.
• The floor was littered with fragments of broken glass.
• The waiter filled their glasses.
• They clinked glasses, still laughing.
• We grow fruit under glass= in a glasshouse.
• We watched the craftsmen blowing glass.
• a boat made of glass fibre/fiber
• a set of crystal glasses
• a tall glass of milk
• beer in a pint glass
• growing fruit under glass
• the red liquid in his glass
• the sound of breaking glass
• watching the Venetian craftsmen blowing glass
Derived: glass something in
verb ~ sb (BrE, informal)
to hit sb in the face with a glass
Word Origin:
Old English glæs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch glas and German Glas.
See also: eyeglasses ▪ specs
looking glass
ˈlooking glass [looking glass] noun (old-fashioned)
a mirror
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
glasses
glasses /ˈglɑː.sɪz/ US /ˈglæs.ɪz/
plural noun
two small pieces of special glass or plastic in a frame worn in front of the eyes to improve sight:
a pair of glasses
reading glasses
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
glass
/glɑ:s, glæs/
(glasses)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Glass is a hard transparent substance that is used to make things such as windows and bottles.
...a pane of glass.
...a sliding glass door.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
A glass is a container made from glass, which you can drink from and which does not have a handle.
Grossman raised the glass to his lips.
N-COUNT
•
The contents of a glass can be referred to as a glass of something.
...a glass of milk.
N-COUNT: usu N of n
3.
Glass is used to mean objects made of glass, for example drinking containers and bowls.
There’s a glittering array of glass to choose from at markets.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
Glasses are two lenses in a frame that some people wear in front of their eyes in order to help them see better.
He took off his glasses.
N-PLURAL
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1glass /ˈglæs, Brit ˈglɑːs/ noun, pl glass·es
1 [noncount] : a hard usually transparent material that is used for making windows and other products
• He broke the glass.
- often used before another noun
• a glass bowl/bottle
- see also plate glass, stained glass
2 [count]
a : a drinking container made out of glass
• The waiter filled our glasses with water.
• an elegant wine glass
✦The expression raise a glass or raise your glasses is used to tell people to hold up their glasses and drink a toast as a way to wish someone happiness, success, etc.
b : the amount held by a glass container
• She drank two glasses of water.
3 glasses [plural] : a pair of glass or plastic lenses set into a frame and worn over the eyes to help a person see
• I have to wear glasses [=spectacles, (US) eyeglasses] for reading. = I have to wear reading glasses.
• She was wearing dark glasses with thick black frames.
• horn-rimmed glasses
- see also field glasses, magnifying glass, opera glasses
people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
- used to say that people who have faults should not criticize other people for having the same faults;
under glass : in a glass container
• Most of the articles in the museum are preserved under glass.
- see also hourglass, looking glass
- glass·ful /ˈglæsˌfʊɫ, Brit ˈglɑsˌfʊɫ/ noun, pl -fuls [count]
• had another glassful [=more commonly, glass] of beer
