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
-
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
-
(intr) to look hastily or briefly
-
(intr; foll by over, through, etc) to look over briefly
to glance through a report
-
(intr) to reflect, glint, or gleam
the sun glanced on the water
-
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
-
glancessimple
-
have glancedperfect
-
has glancedperfect
-
am glancingprogressive
-
are glancingprogressive
-
is glancingprogressive
-
have been glancingperfect progressive
-
has been glancingperfect progressive
Past
-
glancedsimple
-
had glancedperfect
-
was glancingprogressive
-
were glancingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 1: Telling Details
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Because of this more scholarly orientation, his most extreme ideas sound, at first glance, a little wonky.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
At first glance, these findings might seem to contradict the idea that chytrid caused the disappearances.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
At first glance, the quarterly results of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, were not at all bad.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
At first glance, they would seem like an odd pairing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
I glance at the family eating Indian tacos and then at the legendary grandparent behind the counter pretending not to watch us.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Downbeat and irreverent, Mr. deWitt’s road-trip novel glances at, though never lingers over, themes of responsibility, abandonment and agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
We got lost once, and our entourage received several perplexed glances from workers, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
A camera strap dangles off George Rodriguez’s shoulder as he glances around the gallery in search of his favorite image.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The participants giggle, nervously stealing glances from their prospective matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
One of the kids glances up at me, like she’s trying to figure out why I’m standing there, gaping at the room.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
When Kevin Xu, an investor and content creator, glanced at the stock market prices at about 10:30 a.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
At about 8 p.m., a wave of discomfort swept through the crowd, visible on attendees’ faces as they glanced frequently at their phones, according to people at the event.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
As I peeled the tape off my picture frames and glanced around the cleaned apartment, I wondered if I had been unnecessarily paranoid.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Moments later, he glanced back at the word "Finally" on the giant screen behind them.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Rolf took the forged papers from my shaking hands and glanced through them.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"Building is an act of love," he said, glancing down at the ground with his hands in his pockets.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
She says she has been subject to interviews conducted by AI in which software monitors where her eyes are looking to ensure she’s not glancing at an AI-generated script.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 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
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
I avoid glancing at my siblings, worried my face will give away our secret.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
