hang glider

noun

variants or less commonly hang-glider

ˈhaŋ-ˌglī-dər 

plural hang gliders also hang-gliders

1

: a kitelike glider from which a harnessed rider hangs while soaring down from a cliff or hill

We spot several hang gliders and a hot air balloon seemingly suspended in the clouds above the castle turrets.

—Catherine George

2

: a person who soars through the air using a hang glider

Hang gliders and paragliders say they're working with the state to find a way to safely take flight off of Mount Greylock's eastern summit on weekends.

—Jane Kaufman

… hang gliders who come to launch themselves off the rolling green hills directly behind the beach.

—Rashmi Hemrajani

Illustration of hang glider

Examples of hang glider in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Apparently, Santa Fe is a regular destination for her husband and his hang glider buddies. —Steve Banker, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026

October 7th, and the decimation of Gaza, brought unshakeable images to screens around the world—of hang gliders, brutalized women in the backs of trucks, mangled children, flattened city blocks. —Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026

The Helix is classified as a Part 103 ultralight aircraft, the same regulatory class as a hang glider. —Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026

Look out for hang gliders and paragliders launching off its summit. —James March, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hang glider

• collider
• confider
• divider
• insider
• outsider
• provider
• cider
• cyder
• eider
• hider
• rider
• schneider

Kids Definition

hang glider

noun

: a glider which resembles a kite and from which a rider hangs while gliding down from a cliff or hill

hang glide verb

hang gliding noun