glory be
- idiom
- Archaic
:
¡gloria!
- Glory be!
Examples
-
Oh, glory be! I can't believe we won the game!
-
- Glory be!
-
After all that hard work, glory be, we finally finished the project!
-
When she heard the good news, she exclaimed, 'glory be!'
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A short sound people make to show surprise, relief, or pleasure
185
6.0
A short shout people make to show happiness or excitement
76
4.6
A short laugh showing surprise or small victory
43
1.4
A short shout to show excitement or happiness
36
9.4
A short sound people say to show surprise or admiration
35
8.2
An exclamation that shows strong surprise or shock
31
8.7
A quiet sound people make when they are surprised or impressed
26
9.9
A strong phrase people say when they are very surprised or shocked
17
9.4
A short informal cry showing surprise or strong feeling
16
8.3
A short sound people say to show surprise or excitement
9
7.7
A short phrase people say to show surprise, shock, or admiration
8
5.5
A word people say to show great joy or relief
5
7.4
A loud shout people make to show excitement or joy
5
2.6
A shout people make when they are happy or excited
5
9.9
A shout that shows joy or encourages others
5
7.5
A short phrase people say to show surprise or shock
4
9.1
A soft sound you make when something feels good or brings relief
3
9.9
A short sound people make to show surprise or admiration
3
7.9
A short shout people say to show joy or approval
3
9.9
A loud old-fashioned word people shout to show joy or approval
1
7.3
People say it to show surprise, anger, or a strong need for an answer
1
8.9
A short shout that shows joy or excitement
1
8.2
A loud shout people make to show excitement
1
9.9
A short old word people say to show surprise or strong feeling
1
9.9
A short shout of joy used online
A loud shout of joy people make when they feel excited
A loud shout to show joy or excitement
A shout used to show great joy or surprise
People say it to show great happiness or excitement, often as a joke
A loud shout to show support or celebration for someone
A short joyful shout used to praise, often in religious songs
A short cry of surprise when something is hard to believe
A short word people say to show surprise, admiration, or excitement
Words people say to show thanks when something happens because of Allah's kindness
An old word people say to show surprise or strong feeling
A loud cheer people use to show victory or praise, often in South Asia
Surface Forms
Morphology
While the noun 'glory' suggests praise and strong positive feeling and 'be' is a copula, the fixed exclamative use 'glory be!' is an archaic/religious interjection whose pragmatic force (relief/surprise) is conventionalized rather than compositionally derived. A B1 learner who knows the words might guess a sense of praise or strong feeling, but would not reliably infer the conventional exclamatory use and register without prior exposure.
Etymology
Glory be comes from old prayers that said 'Glory be to God', where glory meant praise and be was part of that short prayer. People used the shortened phrase to show thanks or surprise, so today glory be is used to express 'relief, joy, or surprise'.