English Reference
Adjective

glancing

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈɡɫænsɪŋ/ UK /ɡlˈɑːnsɪŋ/ glanc·ing

adj.hitting something at an angle and then moving away, rather than hitting it directly. It describes a touch or blow that is not very strong because it slides off the surface.

adj.striking a surface at an oblique angle rather than head-on, resulting in a deflection. Often describes physical contact or light that hits a surface and bounces off to the side.


SIMPLE

The car escaped with only a glancing blow to the bumper.

CONTEXTUAL

The cyclist was lucky to suffer only a glancing hit from the opening car door instead of a direct collision.

COMPLEX

The sunlight hit the polished marble at a glancing angle, creating a long streak of reflected light that illuminated the far corner of the otherwise dim hallway.

Usage

Typically used attributively before nouns like 'blow', 'hit', or 'shot'.

They came tantalisingly close to equalising when Joe Willock’s glancing header flashed fractionally off target following Yoane Wissa’s excellent cross and Elanga’s flick-on.

The Guardian· 5 Sept 2026

Glancing over the front pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport this past week, you could almost miss that a new Serie A season is upon us.

The Guardian· 20 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated