# glance

/ˈɡɫæns/ (US) · /ɡlˈɑːns/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/glance
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to look quickly

verb · CEFR B1

to look at someone or something very quickly and then look away.

For teachers: to direct one's gaze briefly and rapidly. Intransitive when used with 'at'; transitive in literary contexts.

- She glanced at her watch and realized she was late for the meeting.
- He glanced nervously at the exit, hoping to slip out of the room before the question-and-answer session began.

### 2. to bounce off

verb · CEFR B2

to hit something at an angle and then fly off in a different direction.

For teachers: to strike a surface at an oblique angle and be deflected. Often followed by 'off'.

- The stone glanced off the window without breaking the glass.
- The bullet glanced off the armored plating, leaving only a shallow scuff mark on the metal surface.

### 3. to shine or flash

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to shine or reflect light quickly.

For teachers: to emit a brief flash of light or to reflect light while moving. Primarily used in descriptive or poetic writing.

- The sunlight glanced off the surface of the lake.
- The morning sun glanced across the polished marble floors, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

### 4. a quick look

noun · CEFR B1

a very quick look at something.

For teachers: a brief or cursory act of looking. Frequently used in the prepositional phrase 'at a glance'.

- One glance at his face told me that he was angry.
- A quick glance at the spreadsheet revealed several significant accounting errors that had previously gone unnoticed.

### 5. a hitting movement

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a hit that strikes something from the side rather than directly.

For teachers: an impact or stroke that hits a surface at an angle rather than head-on.

- The car only suffered a slight glance from the falling branch.
- The boxer avoided a direct hit, taking only a glancing blow to the shoulder that did little to slow his momentum.

## Examples

- He takes a quick glance at his watch.
- She gave the document a quick glance before signing it, not noticing the error in the final paragraph.
- A single, furtive glance across the crowded room was all they could exchange, yet it conveyed a volume of unspoken understanding that no conversation could match.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.