glance
gb/ɡlˈæns/ us/ɡlˈæns/
A2
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
look briefly at something
To look at something or someone for a very short time.
Usage pattern:
to glance at [something/someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'glance' with 'gaze'. 'Glance' is quick; 'gaze' is long and focused.
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.)
Collocations
glance quickly
|glance at
|glance over
|glance up
|glance down
Themes
daily life
|communication
|perception
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She glanced at her watch before leaving the room.
- He glanced over his shoulder to see who was behind him.
- 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.
- He glanced at me and smiled.
- She glanced at the paper.
- We glanced at the map.
- They glanced at the window.
Noun
A2
entity
2
a brief look
A very short look at something or someone.
Usage pattern:
a glance at [something/someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'glance' (quick) with 'gaze' (long) or 'glimpse' (seeing briefly, often by chance).
Synonyms
look (More general; can be quick or long.)
|
peek (Quick look, sometimes secretive or playful.)
Antonyms
stare (Prolonged and fixed looking.)
Collocations
at a glance
|steal a glance
|take a glance
|quick glance
|brief glance
Themes
daily life
|communication
|perception
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She gave him a quick glance before walking away.
- At a glance, the report seemed fine.
- 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.
- She gave me a glance.
- He had a quick glance at the paper.
- We saw it at a glance.
- I gave her a short glance.
Verb
B2
action
3
bounce off a surface
When something hits another thing lightly and moves away in another direction.
Usage pattern:
to glance off [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the visual meaning of 'glance'; here it describes physical contact and deflection.
Synonyms
ricochet (Specifically refers to bullets or objects rebounding after hitting a surface.)
Collocations
glance off
|glance away
Themes
sports
|physics
|science
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The ball glanced off the post and went out of play.
- The bullet glanced off the wall and hit the floor.
- Her elbow glanced off the table as she passed by.
Learner examples
- The ball glanced off the wall.
- The stone glanced off my shoe.
- The bullet glanced off the metal.
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.