glance
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
glances,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glanced,
past participle, past
-
glancing
present participle
-
to look quickly or briefly.
-
to gleam or flash.
a silver brooch glancing in the sunlight.
- Synonyms:
- scintillate, glisten
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to strike a surface or object obliquely, especially so as to bounce off at an angle (often followed byoff ).
The arrow glanced off his shield.
-
to allude briefly to a topic or subject in passing (usually followed byat ).
verb (used with object)
-
glances,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glanced,
past participle, past
-
glancing
present participle
-
to cast a glance or brief look at; catch a glimpse of.
-
to cast or reflect, as a gleam.
-
to throw, hit, kick, shoot, etc. (something) so that it glances off a surface or object.
noun
-
a quick or brief look.
-
a gleam or flash of light, especially reflected light.
- Synonyms:
- glitter
-
a deflected movement or course; an oblique rebound.
-
Digital Technology. information on an electronic screen that can be understood quickly or at a glance.
Get news and weather glances on your phone.
Tap anywhere on a glance to open the app.
-
Cricket. a stroke in which the batsman deflects the ball with the bat, as to leg.
-
Archaic. a passing reference or allusion; insinuation.
noun
verb
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(intr) to look hastily or briefly
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(intr; foll by over, through, etc) to look over briefly
to glance through a report
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(intr) to reflect, glint, or gleam
the sun glanced on the water
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to depart (from an object struck) at an oblique angle
the arrow glanced off the tree
-
(tr) to strike at an oblique angle
the arrow glanced the tree
noun
-
a hasty or brief look; peep
-
from one's first look; immediately
-
a flash or glint of light; gleam
-
the act or an instance of an object glancing or glancing off another
-
a brief allusion or reference
-
cricket a stroke in which the ball is deflected off the bat to the leg side; glide
noun
Usage
Glance is sometimes wrongly used where glimpse is meant: he caught a glimpse (not glance ) of her making her way through the crowd
Synonym Usage
See flash.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
glancesimple
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glancessimple
-
have glancedperfect
-
has glancedperfect
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am glancingprogressive
-
are glancingprogressive
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is glancingprogressive
-
have been glancingperfect progressive
-
has been glancingperfect progressive
Past
-
glancedsimple
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had glancedperfect
-
was glancingprogressive
-
were glancingprogressive
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had been glancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glance1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English verb glenchen, glansen, variant (perhaps influenced by obsolete glent “to shine”) of Middle English glacen “to strike a glancing blow,” from Old French glacier “to slip, slide,” from Latin glaciāre “to freeze”; see glacé, glint
Origin of glance2
First recorded in 1795–1805; from German Glanz “brightness, luster”
Explanation
Glance involves quick contact. When you glance at someone you take a quick peek at them. When a knife blow glances off you, it doesn't penetrate, but hits at an angle. When you glance at someone, it's often because you don't want to be caught staring. Remember: "Strangers in the night/exchanging glances..." In certain circles, if someone is caught glancing at someone else's girlfriend, he'll find himself in a fist fight, praying only that his beefy opponent will deliver only a glancing blow.
Vocabulary lists containing glance
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At first glance, this sounds like a disagreement over whether a computer can be trusted to hear “no onions” rather than “more onions.”
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
A quick glance from the sidewalk shows a midsize home in the Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
At first glance, Colorado isn’t an obvious backdrop for culture-war clashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
He was fairly expressionless throughout, aside from the occasional shrug of the shoulders or glance at his team.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
I glance at the thick black curtains behind him.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
We got lost once, and our entourage received several perplexed glances from workers, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
The actors spent time forging the kind of intimate charge that could be felt in wordless glances between their closeted characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
When she encountered the boys in the hallways, their glances left her feeling disturbed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Other backward glances include “As You Lie There,” a fantasy about a teenage crush that never blossomed into a romance, and “Salesman Saint,” a paean to Mr. McCartney’s parents’ coping with life in postwar Liverpool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Sal glances over her shoulder at me, and I realize what their joke is.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Moments later, he glanced back at the word "Finally" on the giant screen behind them.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
When she declared the butter at JFK, the customs agent glanced at her thawing bars and joked about keeping one—then waved her through.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
She led me inside, and I glanced at the table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
He glanced at his staff and shifted in his seat.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026
He glanced at my half-finished plate of fries and then at me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
"Building is an act of love," he said, glancing down at the ground with his hands in his pockets.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We’re exhausted. We’ve already been displaced seven times,” said Al-Louh, 45, his eyes following the donkey cart before glancing eastward toward the yellow blocks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
“We have each other’s phone numbers,” said Nadella, glancing at the jury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
Makhmudov spent most of the time glancing at his phone, drawing criticism from heavyweight great Lennox Lewis who was part of the TV broadcast.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
I avoid glancing at my siblings, worried my face will give away our secret.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
