glance
gb/ɡlˈæns/ us/ɡlˈæns/
A2
English
~ 2200
pillant, pillantás, lepattan, gellert kap
VERB
A2
1
pillant
B1
Usage pattern:
to glance at [something/someone]
She glanced at her watch before leaving the room.
Mielőtt kiment a szobából, az órájára pillantott.
He glanced over his shoulder to see who was behind him.
Hátrapillantott a válla fölött, hogy lássa, ki van mögötte.
The teacher glanced at the notes on her desk.
I glanced down at my phone during the meeting.
They both glanced toward the door when it opened.
Learner examples
I glanced at the clock.
Az órára pillantottam.
He glanced at me and smiled.
Rám pillantott, és elmosolyodott.
She glanced at the paper.
We glanced at the map.
They glanced at the window.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'glance' with 'gaze'. 'Glance' is quick; 'gaze' is long and focused.
Meaning
look briefly at something
Collocations
glance quickly
|glance at
|glance over
|glance up
|glance down
Synonyms
peek (Often implies a quick or secret look, sometimes with curiosity.)
|
glimpse (Usually refers to seeing something briefly, sometimes without intention.)
Antonyms
stare (A long, fixed look, opposite of quick glance.)
Themes
daily life
|communication
|perception
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To look at something or someone for a very short time.
To direct your eyes quickly toward something or someone and then look away.
NOUN
A2
2
pillantás
B1
Usage pattern:
a glance at [something/someone]
She gave him a quick glance before walking away.
Mielőtt elsétált, futó pillantást vetett rá.
At a glance, the report seemed fine.
Első pillantásra a jelentés rendben lévőnek tűnt.
He caught her stealing a glance at him.
One glance told me everything I needed to know.
The cat gave me a curious glance.
Learner examples
I took a glance at the book.
Vetettem egy pillantást a könyvre.
She gave me a glance.
Rám vetett egy pillantást.
He had a quick glance at the paper.
We saw it at a glance.
I gave her a short glance.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'glance' (quick) with 'gaze' (long) or 'glimpse' (seeing briefly, often by chance).
Meaning
a brief look
Collocations
at a glance
|steal a glance
|take a glance
|quick glance
|brief glance
Synonyms
look (More general; can be quick or long.)
|
peek (Quick look, sometimes secretive or playful.)
Antonyms
stare (Prolonged and fixed looking.)
Themes
daily life
|communication
|perception
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A very short look at something or someone.
A quick or brief look at something or someone.
VERB
B2
3
lepattan
B1
gellert kap
C1
Usage pattern:
to glance off [something]
The ball glanced off the post and went out of play.
A labda lepattant a kapufáról, és kiment a játéktérről.
The bullet glanced off the wall and hit the floor.
A golyó gellert kapott a falon, majd a padlóba csapódott.
Her elbow glanced off the table as she passed by.
Learner examples
The ball glanced off the wall.
A labda lepattant a falról.
The stone glanced off my shoe.
A kő lepattant a cipőmről.
The bullet glanced off the metal.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the visual meaning of 'glance'; here it describes physical contact and deflection.
Meaning
bounce off a surface
Collocations
glance off
|glance away
Synonyms
ricochet (Specifically refers to bullets or objects rebounding after hitting a surface.)
Themes
sports
|physics
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definition
When something hits another thing lightly and moves away in another direction.
(Of an object or projectile) to hit a surface lightly and move off in another direction without penetrating it.
Grammar
Dictionary form
glance
IPA
GB/ɡlˈæns/
US/ɡlˈæns/
Syllables & stress
glance (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (glance)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: glance
- Plural: glances
Verb
- Base: glance
- 3rd Person Singular: glances
- Present Participle: glancing
- Past: glanced
Word family
Forms
glances
noun
glancing
verb
glanced
verb
Expressions
at a glance
1/ˈæt ə ɡlˈæns/
fixed phrase
with only a quick look
After looking for only a very short time.
Examples
- At a glance, I could tell she was upset.
- You can see the main points at a glance in this chart.
catch a glance of
1/kˈæt͡ʃ ə ɡlˈæns əv/
fixed phrase
notice briefly by looking
To see someone or something for only a moment.
Examples
- I caught a glance of him as he left the room.
- They caught a glance of the mountain through the clouds.
steal a glance
1/stˈil ə ɡlˈæns/
idiom
look quickly and secretly
To look at someone or something quickly without them noticing.
Examples
- He stole a glance at her across the table.
- She stole a glance at her phone during class.