glanced; glancing
1
a
: to take a quick look at something
glanced at his watch
b
of the eyes
: to move swiftly from one thing to another
2
: to strike a surface obliquely so as to go off at an angle
The bullet glanced off the wall.
3
a
: to make sudden quick movements
dragonflies glancing over the pond
b
: to flash or gleam with quick intermittent rays of light
brooks glancing in the sun
4
: to touch on a subject or refer to it briefly or indirectly
The work glances at the customs of ancient cultures.
1
: to give an oblique path of direction to:
a
: to throw or shoot so that the object deflects from a surface
b
archaic
: to aim (something, such as an innuendo) indirectly : insinuate
2
archaic
a
: to take a quick look at
b
: to catch a glimpse of
glancer
noun
1
a
: a quick or cursory look
was good at sizing people up at a glance
b
: a swift movement of the eyes
2
a
: a deflected impact or blow
b
archaic
: a rapid oblique movement
3
a
: a quick intermittent flash or gleam
b
archaic
: a sudden quick movement
Synonyms
Examples of glance in a Sentence
Verb
Glancing down, she noticed her shoe was untied.
I glanced at my watch.
He sat quietly, glancing through a magazine.
She glanced up from her book when he entered the room.
Noun
He gave me a quick glance over his shoulder.
I took a glance at the newspaper this morning.
Recent Examples on the Web
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
Article after article quotes very serious scientists claiming that glancing up at an eclipse for only a few seconds could cause permanent eye damage.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
Many consumers might glance over these labels, but there can be real consequences to having a deepfake of someone stored on servers in countries such as China, Russia, or Belarus where there is no real recourse for victims of deepfake abuse.
—Alexandru Voica, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024
In addition, the new BMWs will be available with autonomous driving technology that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on freeways and change lanes just by glancing at the side mirror.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Ready for a clever trick that’ll keep you in the know without ever glancing at your Android screen?
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2024
What’s behind that obscene cost is probably no surprise to anyone who even just sometimes glances at these Opinion pages.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
The image showed the couple sitting in the backseat of a car, with William glancing down and Kate looking out the window, away from the camera.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
After days of agony, success is a room of people glancing at Lizzy’s work while stuffing their gullets with cheese.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
But by planting the movie in the 1980s, Rohrwacher casts a sad glance at her country’s postwar development, depicting a land of eroding infrastructure, bumbling cops, and a cutthroat, capitalistic market for the artifacts Arthur is hunting.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
With a world as deep as Fallout’s, whose lore spans more than half a dozen games since its inception in the Nineties, there’s a lot newcomers may be missing out on at first glance.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
Even just a quick glance at the sun can leave your eyes vulnerable to damage.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Even a short glance at the sun without proper protection can cause temporary or permanent damage to your eyes.
—Jason Rossi, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
The discovery sent scientists in search of a way to explain these overgrown galaxies —which, at first glance, seem incompatible with what astronomers know about how the universe developed into its present state.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
With the coming eclipse in April, ophthalmologists advise people to be careful and not assume that short glances at the sun are safe.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
And The Finals was a game that did things differently and brought something new to the table, which at first glance Marvel Rivals doesn’t seem to do.
—Mike Stubbs, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
With a full backing band, Fallon belted out the 1983 classic with Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson, who weren’t wearing any protective eye glasses to glance at the eclipse.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
Article after article quotes very serious scientists claiming that glancing up at an eclipse for only a few seconds could cause permanent eye damage.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
Many consumers might glance over these labels, but there can be real consequences to having a deepfake of someone stored on servers in countries such as China, Russia, or Belarus where there is no real recourse for victims of deepfake abuse.
—Alexandru Voica, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024
In addition, the new BMWs will be available with autonomous driving technology that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on freeways and change lanes just by glancing at the side mirror.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Ready for a clever trick that’ll keep you in the know without ever glancing at your Android screen?
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2024
What’s behind that obscene cost is probably no surprise to anyone who even just sometimes glances at these Opinion pages.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
The image showed the couple sitting in the backseat of a car, with William glancing down and Kate looking out the window, away from the camera.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
After days of agony, success is a room of people glancing at Lizzy’s work while stuffing their gullets with cheese.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Your birth chart may appear overwhelming at first glance due to the use of symbols to represent planets and signs.
—Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
But by planting the movie in the 1980s, Rohrwacher casts a sad glance at her country’s postwar development, depicting a land of eroding infrastructure, bumbling cops, and a cutthroat, capitalistic market for the artifacts Arthur is hunting.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
With a world as deep as Fallout’s, whose lore spans more than half a dozen games since its inception in the Nineties, there’s a lot newcomers may be missing out on at first glance.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
Even just a quick glance at the sun can leave your eyes vulnerable to damage.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Even a short glance at the sun without proper protection can cause temporary or permanent damage to your eyes.
—Jason Rossi, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
The discovery sent scientists in search of a way to explain these overgrown galaxies —which, at first glance, seem incompatible with what astronomers know about how the universe developed into its present state.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
With the coming eclipse in April, ophthalmologists advise people to be careful and not assume that short glances at the sun are safe.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
And The Finals was a game that did things differently and brought something new to the table, which at first glance Marvel Rivals doesn’t seem to do.
—Mike Stubbs, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English glencen, glenchen
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2
Noun
1503, in the meaning defined at sense 3a
Time Traveler
The first known use of glance was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing glance
Dictionary Entries Near glance
Cite this Entry
“Glance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glance. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
glance
1 of 2 verb
glanced; glancing
1
: to strike and fly off at an angle
the arrow glanced off the shield
2
: to give a quick or hasty look
glanced at my watch
glanced up from a book
3
glancingly
adverb
ˈglan(t)-siŋ-lē
glance
2 of 2 noun1
: a quick flash or gleam that comes and goes
2
: an impact or blow that is turned aside
3
a
: a swift movement of the eyes
b
: a quick or hasty look
More from Merriam-Webster on glance
Nglish: Translation of glance for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of glance for Arabic Speakers
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