Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense glances, present participle glancing, past tense, past participle glanced
1. verb
If you glanceat something or someone, you look at them very quickly and then look away again immediately.
He glanced at his watch. [VERB preposition/adverb]
I glanced back. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: peek, look, view, check More Synonyms of glance
2. verb
If you glance through or at a newspaper, report, or book, you spend a short time looking at it without reading it very carefully.
I picked up the phone book and glanced through it. [VERB + through]
I never even glanced at the political page of a daily paper. [VERB + at]
Synonyms: scan, browse, dip into, leaf through More Synonyms of glance
3. countable noun
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
Trevor and I exchanged a glance.
...stealing a quick glance at her watch.
Synonyms: peek, look, glimpse, peep More Synonyms of glance
4.
See at a glance
5.
See at first glance
6.
See to steal a glance
Phrasal verbs:
See glance off
More Synonyms of glance
glance in British English1
(ɡlɑːns)
verb
1. (intransitive)
to look hastily or briefly
2. (intr; foll by over, through, etc)
to look over briefly
to glance through a report
3. (intransitive)
to reflect, glint, or gleam
the sun glanced on the water
4. (intransitive; usually foll byoff)
to depart (from an object struck) at an oblique angle
the arrow glanced off the tree
5. (transitive)
to strike at an oblique angle
the arrow glanced the tree
noun
6.
a hasty or brief look; peep
7. at a glance
8.
a flash or glint of light; gleam
9.
the act or an instance of an object glancing or glancing off another
10.
a brief allusion or reference
11. cricket
a stroke in which the ball is deflected off the bat to the leg side; glide
▶ USAGE Glance is sometimes wrongly used where glimpse is meant: he caught a glimpse (not glance) of her making her way through the crowd
Derived forms
glancing (ˈglancing)
adjective
glancingly (ˈglancingly)
adverb
Word origin
C15: modification of glacen to strike obliquely, from Old French glacier to slide (see glacis); compare Middle English glenten to make a rapid sideways movement, glint
glance in British English2
(ɡlɑːns)
noun
any mineral having a metallic lustre, esp a simple sulphide
copper glance
Word origin
C19: from German Glanz brightness, lustre
glance in American English1
(glæns; glɑns)
verb intransitiveWord forms: glanced or ˈglancing
1.
to strike a surface obliquely and go off at an angle
usually with off
2.
to make an indirect or passing reference
with over, at, etc.
3.
to flash or gleam
4.
to look suddenly and briefly; take a quick look
verb transitive
5.
to cause (an object) to strike a surface at an angle and be deflected
noun
6.
a glancing off; deflected impact
7.
a flash or gleam
8.
a quick look
SIMILAR WORDS: flash
Word origin
ME glansen, glenchen, prob. a blend < OFr glacier, to slip (see glacis) + guenchir, to elude < Frank *wenkjan, to totter; akin to OE wancol, unstable
glance in American English2
(glæns)
noun
any of various ores with a metallic luster: now applied to only a few metallic ores, as silver glance ( argentite) and lead glance ( galena)
Word origin
Ger glanz, lit., luster: for IE base see glass
More idioms containing
glance
at first glance
COBUILD Collocations
glance
admiring glance
cast a glance
cursory glance
nervous glance
quick glance
sideways glance
Examples of 'glance' in a sentence
glance
This painting may look at a glance like some fairly dull grid.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Long leg should be set fine for leg glances and top edges.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Light glanced from its mantle and wings.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Ministers looked at each other and glanced away.
Hibbert, Christopher Red Coats and Rebels - the war for America 1770-1781 (1990)
The glances back at their home as they fled.
Christianity Today (2000)
Women would cast admiring glances at me.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
No one gave him so much as a second glance.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The front is not as symmetrical as it appears at a quick glance.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Your sixth sense is working well and you can recognise genuine people and opportunities at first glance.
The Sun (2009)
But not all of it glances away.
Radford, Tim & Leggett, Jeremy The Crisis of Life on Earth - our legacy from the second millenium (1990)
The way it feels like the cabin crew keep casting longing glances at your wallet.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And not all the second glances are unkind ones.
The Sun (2015)
At first glance the new car seems to be pretty much identical to the old one.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She cast back a worried glance.
Bachmann, Susan (editor) & Barth, Melinda Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)
In which case, you may have a quick glance.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The two men exchange glances.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She said: 'I glanced up again to see that one of them had slipped.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Reading the emails again caused me to glance through the book itself, at which pointI found myself smiling over it.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
In other languages
glance
British English: glance /ɡlɑːns/ NOUN
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
We exchanged a glance.
American English: glance
Arabic: لـَمْحَة
Brazilian Portuguese: relance
Chinese: 一瞥
Croatian: pogled
Czech: letmý pohled
Danish: blik
Dutch: vluchtige blik
European Spanish: vistazo
Finnish: vilkaisu
French: coup d’œil
German: Blick
Greek: βλέμμα
Italian: occhiata
Japanese: ちらっと見ること
Korean: 흘끗 보기
Norwegian: blikk
Polish: spojrzenie
European Portuguese: relance
Romanian: privire scurtă
Russian: быстрый взгляд
Latin American Spanish: vistazo
Swedish: blick
Thai: การชำเลือง
Turkish: bakış
Ukrainian: швидкий погляд
Vietnamese: cái liếc
British English: glance /ɡlɑːns/ VERB
If you glance at something or someone, you look at them very quickly and then look away again immediately.
He glanced at his watch.
American English: glance
Arabic: يُلَمِّحُ إلَى
Brazilian Portuguese: relancear
Chinese: 扫视
Croatian: pogledati
Czech: podívat se letmo
Danish: kaste et blik
Dutch: vluchtig kijken
European Spanish: echar un vistazo
Finnish: vilkaista
French: jeter un coup d’œil
German: blicken
Greek: κοιτάζω λοξά
Italian: dare uno sguardo
Japanese: ちらっと見る
Korean: 흘끗 보다
Norwegian: kikke
Polish: spojrzeć
European Portuguese: olhar de relance
Romanian: a arunca o privire la
Russian: бросить взгляд
Latin American Spanish: echar un vistazo
Swedish: snegla
Thai: ชำเลืองดู
Turkish: göz atmak
Ukrainian: глянути
Vietnamese: liếc nhìn
All related terms of 'glance'
glance off
If an object glances off something, it hits it at an angle and bounces away in another direction.
iron glance
a red, grey , or black mineral, found as massive beds and in veins and igneous rocks. It is the chief source of iron . Composition : iron ( ferric ) oxide . Formula: Fe 2 O 3 . Crystal structure: hexagonal ( rhombohedral )
side glance
a look sideways at someone or something
quick glance
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
admiring glance
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
antimony glance
→ stibnite
at a glance
If you see something at a glance , you see or recognize it immediately, and without having to think or look carefully.
cursory glance
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
nervous glance
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
sideways glance
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
cast a glance
A glance is a quick look at someone or something.
at first glance
If you say that something is true or seems to be true at first glance , you mean that it seems to be true when you first see it or think about it, but that your first impression may be wrong .
cobaltite
a rare silvery-white mineral consisting of cobalt arsenic sulphide in cubic crystalline form: a major ore of cobalt, used in ceramics . Formula: CoAsS
bismuthinite
a grey mineral consisting of bismuth sulphide in orthorhombic crystalline form. It occurs in veins associated with tin , copper , silver , lead, etc, and is a source of bismuth. Formula: Bi 2 S 3
to steal a glance steal a glance at sb/sth
If you steal a glance at someone or something, you look at them quickly so that nobody sees you looking.
Chinese translation of 'glance'
glance
(ɡlɑːns)
n(c)
(= look) 扫(掃)视(視) (sǎoshì)
vi
瞥 (piē)
to glance at sb/sth看某人/某物一眼 (kàn mǒurén/mǒuwù yī yǎn)
at a glance一瞥之下 (yī piē zhī xià)
at first glance乍一看 (zhà yī kàn)
All related terms of 'glance'
glance off
擦过(過) cāguò
at a glance
一瞥之下 yī piē zhī xià
at first glance
乍一看 zhà yī kàn
to cast a glance
瞧一瞧 qiáo yī qiáo
to glance at sb/sth
看某人/某物一眼 kàn mǒurén/mǒuwù yī yǎn
1 (verb)
Definition
to look quickly at something
He glanced at his watch.
Synonyms
peek
She peeked at him through a crack in the wall.
look
She turned to look at him.
view
The mourners filed past to view the body.
check
Check the accuracy of every detail in your CV.
Get a mechanic to check the car out for you before you buy it.
clock (British, informal)
gaze
He gazed reflectively at the fire.
glimpse
She glimpsed a group of people standing on the bank of a river.
check out (informal)
peep
Now and then she peeped to see if they were still paying attention.
take a dekko at (British, slang, old-fashioned)
Opposites
study
,
scrutinize
,
peruse
2 (verb)
A light glanced in the distance.
Synonyms
gleam
His red sports car gleamed in the sun.
reflect
flash
Lightning flashed among the distant dark clouds.
shine
It is a mild morning and the sun is shining.
glitter
The palace glittered with lights.
shimmer
The lights shimmered on the water.
twinkle
At night, lights twinkle in distant villages across the valleys.
glint
The sea glinted in the sun.
glimmer
The moon glimmered faintly through the mists.
glisten
The calm sea glistened in the sunlight.
3 (verb)
Definition
to look quickly at something
I picked up the book and glanced through it.
Synonyms
scan
browse
There are plenty of biographies for him to browse.
dip into
leaf through
flip through
thumb through
skim through
riffle through
run over or through
surf (computing)
1 (noun)
Definition
a quick look
She stole a quick glance at her watch.
Synonyms
peek
I had a quick peek into the bedroom.
look
She took a last look in the mirror.
glimpse
The fans waited outside the hotel to get a glimpse of their heroine.
peep
He took a peep at his watch.
squint
They have waited a long time to have a squint inside my lovely shed.
butcher's (British, slang)
quick look
gander (informal)
brief look
dekko (slang, old-fashioned)
shufti (British, slang)
gink (New Zealand, slang)
Opposites
examination
,
inspection
,
good look
,
perusal
2 (noun)
Synonyms
gleam
the gleam of the headlights
flash
a sudden flash of lightning
reflection
sparkle
There was a sparkle in her eye that could not be hidden.
twinkle
A kindly twinkle came into his eyes.
glint
glints of sunlight
glimmer
In the east there is the faintest glimmer of light.
3 (noun)
Synonyms
allusion
This remark was an allusion to their longstanding hostility.
reference
He summed up his philosophy, with reference to Calvin.
passing mention
idiom
See at first glance
phrasal verb
See glance off
Usage note
Care should be taken not to confuse glance and glimpse: he caught a glimpse (not glance) of her making her way through the crowd; he gave a quick glance (not glimpse) at his watch. A glance is a deliberate action, while a glimpse seems opportunistic.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of browse
Definition
to look through (a book or articles for sale) in a casual leisurely manner
There are plenty of biographies for him to browse.
Synonyms
skim,
scan,
glance at,
survey,
look through,
look round,
dip into,
leaf through,
peruse,
flip through,
examine cursorily
in the sense of check
Definition
to examine, investigate, or make an inquiry into
Check the accuracy of every detail in your CV.Get a mechanic to check the car out for you before you buy it.
Synonyms
examine,
test,
study,
look at,
research,
note,
confirm,
investigate,
monitor,
probe,
tick,
vet,
inspect,
look over,
verify,
work over,
scrutinize,
make sure of,
inquire into,
take a dekko at (British, slang, old-fashioned),
parse
in the sense of flash
Definition
to shine with a bright light suddenly or repeatedly