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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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 news might sound encouraging after years of headlines highlighting the reverse trend, that life expectancy was falling.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
The fossil primarily preserves parts of the limbs, and at first glance, this type of material may seem limited, but it carries important information about the animal’s locomotion and evolutionary relationships.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
And in Seehorn he found someone who, with a mere sidelong glance or knitted brow, can let you in on Gilligan’s secrets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
At first glance, Barcola looks like the natural successor to Luis Diaz.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Hannie walked over to it and, with a quick glance around, got in.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
But Barker only glances at a few relevant themes before turning his gaze just when things are getting interesting.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 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
While Wednesday night's victory over Rayo may help keep players satisfied with Europa League football now secured for next season, their triumph will inevitably attract more admiring glances at their players.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
I exchanged hopeful glances with the women around me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
Val stared at him coldly, while some of the other villagers exchanged amused glances.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Dodgers left-hander Eric Lauer adjusted his cap and glanced into the stands as he walked off the field to a standing ovation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
She glanced at him once with what looked like a hint of contemptuousness and ended without detouring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Dodsworth glanced at the item and put it in the pocket of his jogging bottoms, jurors heard.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
He glanced at his staff and shifted in his seat.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026
I glanced at Betsie, sitting so tall and lovely on the other side of Mama.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
“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
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
“We have each other’s phone numbers,” said Nadella, glancing at the jury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
However, the Met Office Space Weather Prediction Centre suggests there is a low chance of a "glancing blow" of energy on Tuesday night where the aurora could reappear in northern Scotland.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
“Oooh, I don’t like the look of those clouds,” said Twitch, glancing up at the sky.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
