glance

glance — verb

1. to briefly look at someone or something, usually for such a short time that you

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to briefly look at someone or something, usually for such a short time that you do not examine the person or thing fully

Example

Tunde glanced at his watch and quickly walked towards the meeting room.

glance + at + noun phrase (object of look)

Sirin glanced through the report during her lunch break.

glance + through (quickly read)

Common collocations
  • glance at
  • glance through
  • glance over
  • glance around
  • glance up
  • glance back
  • glance nervously
  • glance briefly
Synonyms
  • peek

    more secretive or cautious — looking quickly through a small gap or from a hidden position

  • skim

    specifically about reading — passing eyes over text to get the main ideas

  • glimpse

    usually a noun, and suggests the brief look happened without planning

Antonyms
  • stare

    to look at something for a long time, often without moving your eyes

Grammar Patterns

glance + at + noun phrase

glance + through/over + noun phrase

Usage Note

Glance suggests a voluntary, brief look, not a stare or a long observation. When you glance at something, you choose to look — unlike 'catch a glimpse of', which implies the look happens by chance.

Common Mistakes

Anjali glanced a letter on the table.
Anjali glanced at a letter on the table.
'glance' almost always needs a preposition (at, through, over, around) before the object.

2. when light or a shiny surface sends back a brief, bright flash, often after hitt

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

when light or a shiny surface sends back a brief, bright flash, often after hitting a smooth surface at an angle

Example

Sunlight glanced off the polished marble floor of the hotel lobby.

glance + off (surface reflecting light)

The morning sun glanced across the lake, creating a path of golden sparkles.

Common collocations
  • glance off
  • glance across
  • glance on
  • sunlight glances
  • light glances
Synonyms
  • gleam

    to shine softly, often from a dark surface; less sudden than glance

  • glisten

    to shine by reflecting light from a wet or oily surface

  • flash

    a sudden, bright, and brief burst of light; more intense than glance

Grammar Patterns

glance + off + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used in literary or descriptive writing. The subject is normally a light source (sunlight, moonlight, a beam) rather than a person. Distinguish from verb sense 1 — the light itself does the 'looking' as a metaphor.

3. in cricket, to send the ball behind the batter by turning the bat face to meet t

3.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

in cricket, to send the ball behind the batter by turning the bat face to meet the ball with a gentle pushing motion rather than a full swing

Example

Eitan glanced the ball past the wicketkeeper for an easy run.

glance + ball + direction phrase (cricket context)

The experienced batter glanced a fast delivery down to the fine-leg boundary.

Common collocations
  • glance the ball
  • glance a delivery
  • glance for a run
Synonyms
  • deflect

    more general — to cause something to change direction after hitting a surface

  • flick

    a quick wrist movement in cricket that sends the ball in a particular direction

Grammar Patterns

glance + noun phrase (the ball)

Usage Note

This sense is specific to cricket and is primarily used in British English and other Commonwealth countries where cricket is played. Outside those contexts, the sense will not be understood.

Phrasal verbs

glance off

phrasal verb

To hit a surface at an angle and then move away from it.

The stone glanced off the window and hit the ground.

Did the arrow glance off the shield or stick in it?

glance on

phrasal verb

To look briefly at something without paying close attention.

She glanced on the letter and then put it aside.

He glanced on the headlines while waiting for the bus.

glance — noun

Word family

  • glancing
    adjectiveC1
  • glancingly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe a brief look, but they differ in how and why the looking happens. 'Glance' is the most neutral — you turn your eyes toward something for a moment, usually on purpose ('He glanced at the clock'). 'Peek' adds secrecy or caution: you look quickly, often through a small space or from a hidden position, to see something you are not supposed to see ('She peeked through the curtains'). 'Skim' is specific to reading — you pass your eyes over text to get the main ideas without reading every word ('I skimmed the newspaper headlines'). 'Glimpse' is almost always a noun (the verb is rare) and implies that the brief look happened by chance rather than by choice ('I caught a glimpse of the singer as she got into the car'). Use 'glance' for an intentional quick look, 'peek' for a sneaky one, 'skim' for fast reading, and 'glimpse' for an accidental sighting.

glance ↗peekskim ↗glimpse ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • at a glance
  • at first glance
  • steal a glance
  • exchange a glance
  • take a glance
  • give a glance

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Glance' entered English in the 15th century, originally meaning 'to move quickly' or 'to strike obliquely'. It likely comes from an Old French word 'glacier', meaning 'to slide or slip', which itself traces back to Latin 'glacies' (ice). The sense of 'a quick look' developed in the 1500s, based on the idea of the eyes 'sliding' rapidly over something. The cricket sense (striking the ball at an angle) preserves the original physical meaning.