glance

glance · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A brief or hurried look.

  2. 2.

    To look quickly or briefly at something.

  3. 3.

    To strike a surface and be deflected.

Forms

plural: glances

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    at first glance — on initial examination
  • •
    at a glance — with a quick look; immediately
  • •
    glance off — to strike and deflect from a surface

Related words

Antonyms: gaze, stare
See also: glimpse, look, peek
Synonyms: glimpse, look, peek

Etymology

From Middle English glancen ("to strike obliquely"), possibly from Old French glacier ("to slip, slide"). The visual sense developed from the notion of light glancing off a surface.