Glance — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈglan(t)s/

Meaning & Definition of Glance

Glance (verb)

  1. to take a quick look at something
  2. to move swiftly from one thing to another
  3. to strike a surface obliquely so as to go off at an angle

Glance (noun)

  1. a quick or cursory look
  2. a swift movement of the eyes
  3. a deflected impact or blow

Glance (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an instance of looking especially briefly

    "she was about to say something rude, but her mother silenced her with a glance"

    similar: cast, eye, gander, glimpse, look, peek, peep, regard, sight, view
    related: gape, gaze, glare, leer, ogle, stare, side-glance, squinny, squint, coup d'oeil

Glance (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to strike and fly off at an angle

    "the basketball glanced off the rim"

    "her wild pitch glanced off my shoulder and landed in the dugout"

    similar: bounce, carom, rebound, ricochet, skim, skip
    related: brush, graze, nudge, rake, shave, sweep, bump, contact, hit, kiss, touch, sideswipe, reflect

  2. to take a quick or hasty look

    "just glanced at the instructions before assembling the bike"

    "glanced over his shoulder to see if she was still there"

    similar: browse, dip, glimpse, glint, peek, skim
    related: keek (chiefly Scottish), peep, blink, squint, look over, peruse, rake, scan
    opposite: gaze, stare
    near: examine, overlook, oversee, question, survey, study, view, peer, pry, gawk, goggle, rubberneck, leer, ogle

  3. to shoot forth bursts of light

    "diamonds glancing in the display case"

    similar: coruscate, flame, flash, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, luster, scintillate, shimmer, spangle, sparkle, twinkle, wink, winkle
    related: beam, radiate, shine, bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle, blaze, burn, flare, glare, glow

Related Entry: Glance (at) (verb)

Glance (at) is a different word from Glance. The synonyms below are for glance (at), not for glance.

  1. as in scan, look over

    similar: look over, scan, browse, dip, flip, leaf, riffle, skim, thumb
    opposite: pore (over), study

Related Entry: Glance (over) (verb)

Glance (over) is a different word from Glance. The synonyms below are for glance (over), not for glance.

  1. as in look over, browse

    similar: browse, look over, explore, probe, prospect, skirmish, snoop, peruse, study, grub (about), poke (around), ascertain, descry, detect, determine, discover, ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), learn, locate, run down, scare up, track (down), audit, check (out), examine, inspect, investigate, review, scan, scrutinize, survey, frisk, pat down, shake down, comb, dig (through), dredge, hunt (through), rake, ransack, rifle, rummage, scour, search, sort (through), troll
    opposite: hide, abandon, lose, ignore, neglect

Related Entry: Glance (upon) (verb)

Glance (upon) is a different word from Glance. The synonyms below are for glance (upon), not for glance.

  1. as in touch (upon), note

    similar: advert (to), allude (to), cite, instance, mention, name, note, notice, quote, specify, touch (upon), appertain (to), bear (on or upon), refer (to), relate (to), offer, present, concern, cover, deal (with), pertain (to), treat (of), contain, embrace, encompass, entail, include, incorporate
    opposite: exclude, omit, disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight, slur (over), brush (aside or off), reject, shrug off

Related Entry: Side-glance (noun)

Side-glance is a different word from Glance. The synonyms below are for side-glance, not for glance.

  1. as in eye, look

    similar: cast, eye, gander, glance, glimpse, look, peek, peep, regard, sight, view, gape, gaze, glare, leer, ogle, stare, squinny, squint, coup d'oeil

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Glance

The most common words with a similar meaning to Glance:

cast, eye, gander, glimpse, look, peek, peep, regard, sight, view, bounce, carom, rebound, ricochet, skim, skip, browse, dip, glint, coruscate, flame, flash, gleam, glimmer, glisten, glister, glitter, luster, scintillate, shimmer, spangle, sparkle, twinkle, wink, winkle

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Glance

Words with the opposite meaning of Glance:

gaze, stare

Related Words for Glance

gape, gaze, glare, leer, ogle, stare, side-glance, squinny, squint, coup d'oeil, brush, graze, nudge, rake, shave, sweep, bump, contact, hit, kiss, touch, sideswipe, reflect, keek, blink, look over, peruse, scan, beam, radiate

Near Antonyms of Glance

examine, overlook, oversee, question, survey, study, view, peer, pry, gawk, goggle, rubberneck, leer, ogle

Word Forms of Glance

Inflections: glanced, glancing

Derived words: glancer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Glance

Middle English glencen, glenchen

First known use: 15th centuryi

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Glance

Words & Phrases Containing Glance

at first glance, side-glance, at a glance, second glance, steal a glance, dart a glance/look at

Frequently Asked Questions about Glance

What does "Glance" mean?

"Glance" means to take a quick look at something. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to take a quick look at something. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Glance"?

Other words for "Glance" include cast, eye, gander, glimpse, look, peek, peep and regard. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Glance" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Glance"?

There are 74 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Glance". Common alternatives include cast, eye, gander, glimpse, look, peek, peep, regard, sight and view.

What is the opposite of "Glance"?

Antonyms of "Glance" include gaze and stare. Near antonyms include examine, overlook, oversee and question.

How do you use "Glance" in a sentence?

Examples of "Glance" in a sentence: "she was about to say something rude, but her mother silenced her with a glance"; "the basketball glanced off the rim"; "her wild pitch glanced off my shoulder and landed in the dugout".

Is "Glance" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Glance" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Glance" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Glance" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Glance"?

"Glance" is pronounced /ˈglan(t)s/.