glancing

[glan-sing, glahn-]

adjective

1. striking obliquely and bouncing off at an angle.

   a glancing blow.

2. brief and indirect.

   glancing references to his dubious past.

Other Word Forms

• glancingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of glancing¹

First recorded in 1485–95; glance ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Upstairs, sitting on her bed and glancing at a poem by Victor Hugo, Rahaf contemplates the fact that her future is secure for the first time in her entire life.

From BBC

Street sellers display their wares, while other people do the shop for the weekend without even glancing at the militia members carrying out their exercises.

From BBC

Soft-spoken, polite to waitstaff, engaged with each other without ever so much as glancing at a phone.

From Los Angeles Times

And in the third set, with the teams even at five, Nuss — the smallest player on the sand — swung above her size, disguising her shots by glancing one way and spiking the ball the other.

From Los Angeles Times

Scottish football fans could be forgiven for glancing out the window to make sure the sky is still blue.

From BBC

Related Words

• cursory 
• fleeting 
• superficial