glance

¹ American  

[glans, glahns] / glæns, glɑns /

verb (used without object)

• glances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• glanced,
  past participle,  past
• glancing
  present participle

1. to look quickly or briefly.

2. to gleam or flash.

   a silver brooch glancing in the sunlight.

   Synonyms:

   scintillate, glisten

3. 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.

   Synonyms:

   ricochet, reflect

4. to allude briefly to a topic or subject in passing (usually followed byat ).

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verb (used with object)

Archaic.

• glances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• glanced,
  past participle,  past
• glancing
  present participle

1. to cast a glance or brief look at; catch a glimpse of.

2. to cast or reflect, as a gleam.

3. to throw, hit, kick, shoot, etc. (something) so that it glances off a surface or object.

noun

1. a quick or brief look.

2. a gleam or flash of light, especially reflected light.

   Synonyms:

   glitter

3. a deflected movement or course; an oblique rebound.

4. 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.

5. Cricket. a stroke in which the batsman deflects the ball with the bat, as to leg.

6. Archaic. a passing reference or allusion; insinuation.

glance ² American  

[glans, glahns] / glæns, glɑns /

noun

1. any of various minerals having a luster that indicates a metallic nature.

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glance ¹ British  

/ ɡlɑːns /

verb

1. (intr) to look hastily or briefly

2. (intr; foll by over, through, etc) to look over briefly

   to glance through a report

3. (intr) to reflect, glint, or gleam

   the sun glanced on the water

4. to depart (from an object struck) at an oblique angle

   the arrow glanced off the tree

5. (tr) to strike at an oblique angle

   the arrow glanced the tree

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noun

1. a hasty or brief look; peep

2. from one's first look; immediately

3. a flash or glint of light; gleam

4. the act or an instance of an object glancing or glancing off another

5. a brief allusion or reference

6. cricket a stroke in which the ball is deflected off the bat to the leg side; glide

glance ² British  

/ ɡlɑːns /

noun

1. any mineral having a metallic lustre, esp a simple sulphide

   copper glance

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glance Idioms  

1. see at first blush (glance).

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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

• glancing
  adverb
• glancingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• glancing
  present
• glanced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• glance
  simple
• glances
  simple
• have glanced
  perfect
• has glanced
  perfect
• am glancing
  progressive
• are glancing
  progressive
• is glancing
  progressive
• have been glancing
  perfect progressive
• has been glancing
  perfect progressive

Past

• glanced
  simple
• had glanced
  perfect
• was glancing
  progressive
• were glancing
  progressive
• had been glancing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will glance
  simple
• will have glanced
  perfect
• will be glancing
  progressive
• will have been glancing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

glance glances glanced glancing

At first glance, it’s an iPhone running Apple software.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

At first glance, "that's frightening," said Richard Ouellet, a professor of international economic law at Quebec's Laval University.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

It only takes one glance from the security guard — their eye catching the light dancing off of the studs, the spikes, the grommets, the O-rings, the chains — to understand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

At first glance, your list looks decent, but you have left out two huge names - Lewis Hamilton and Alain Prost.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

I glance at the clock above the change room doors.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

But Barker only glances at a few relevant themes before turning his gaze just when things are getting interesting.

From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026

At a holiday gathering in San Francisco, partygoers sipped Celsius and kept sneaking glances at their cracked-open laptops with a mix of pride and fear.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

Achieve that, and maybe the next time they go into that Glasgow pub they might just draw a few glances of recognition.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

“Sentimental Value” says so much with wordless glances and still faces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

I keep stealing glances at her hair, and she notices.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

As the crowd showered Vargas with cheers, Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall glanced over at first base.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

When a third opportunity glanced past Ayton’s nonchalantly extended arm, JJ Redick had seen enough.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026

He glanced at his staff and shifted in his seat.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

Before the face-off drama, a twitchy, stone-faced Dubois glanced around at the stained-glass windows as the managers went toe-to-toe backing their men.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

Rolf took the forged papers from my shaking hands and glanced through them.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

But within just a few months, I’d reverted to my old habits—immediately glancing at and engaging with every ping and alert, and reflexively picking up my phone to scroll through my rotation of go-to websites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“You get more done when the pressure’s on,” she says, glancing at one of the dozens of text messages that have popped up on her iPhone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

He said glancing at the the dinosaur next to him in the dirt helps keep him calm and focused.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 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 bolted up from the desk, glancing to the passage to the back.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• bounce
• carom
• dart
• kiss
• skim
• skip