glance
[verb]
Synonyms:
- look, glimpse, peek, peep, scan, view
- gleam, flash, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, reflect, shimmer, shine, twinkle
[noun]
Synonyms:
- look, dekko (slang), glimpse, peek, peep, view

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Contrasted words: center, focus
Related Words: brush, kiss, scrape, shave, slant, contact, hit, strike, touch, bounce, careen, rebound

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English Thesaurus: look, glance, glimpse, gaze, stare, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. glance¹ /ɡlɑːns $ ɡlæns/ verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: Perhaps from glent 'to move quickly, shine' (13-19 centuries)]

1. to quickly look at someone or something
glance at/up/down etc
The man glanced nervously at his watch.
Wyatt glanced around the restaurant.
Emily glanced over her shoulder.

2. to read something very quickly
glance at/through etc
Can you glance through these figures for me?

REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say take a quick look at/through etc something rather than glance at/through etc something:
I took a quick look at my watch.
glance off (something) phrasal verb

1. to hit a surface at an angle and then move away from it in another direction Synonym : ricochet:
The bullet had crushed his helmet and glanced off.

2. literary if light glances off a surface, it flashes or shines back from it Synonym : reflect off:
The sun was glancing off the icy tips of gleaming rock.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. glance² W3 noun [countable]

1. a quick look:
He gave her a quick glance and smiled.
sidelong/sideways glance
She couldn’t resist a sidelong glance (=a look that is not direct) at him.
take/shoot/throw/cast a glance (at somebody) (=look at someone or something quickly)
The couple at the next table cast quick glances in our direction.
The brothers exchanged glances (=looked at each other quickly).

2. at a glance
a) if you know something at a glance, you know it as soon as you see it:
He saw at a glance what had happened.
b) in a short form that is easy to read and understand:
Here are our top ten ski resorts at a glance.

3. at first glance/sight when you first look at something:
At first glance, the place seemed deserted.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

glance
noun
ADJ. backward, sidelong, sideways She cast a sidelong glance at Fern.
brief, cursory, fleeting, quick, swift After a cursory glance at the report he frowned.
casual | covert, furtive, surreptitious The man walked slowly along, casting furtive glances behind him.
accusing, angry, baleful, disapproving, mocking, reproachful, scornful, sharp, suspicious, withering Meena threw him an angry glance.
curious, puzzled, questioning, quizzical | admiring, approving | knowing | meaningful The couple exchanged meaningful glances but said nothing.
amused, wry | anxious, nervous, worried | plaintive
VERB + GLANCE cast (sb), dart, give (sb/sth), have, shoot (sb), steal, take, throw (sb) He gave her a mocking glance. I had a quick glance at the article, but I haven't read it yet. He stole a sidelong glance at the young woman sitting next to him on the train. She took one last glance in the mirror and then left.
exchange They exchanged knowing glances.
catch I caught the teacher's glance and nearly burst into nervous laughter.
attract, draw Their vintage car attracted admiring glances wherever they went.
GLANCE + VERB flick, flicker, move Her glance flickered briefly across to the group standing at the other side of the street.
meet Their glances met, then they both looked away.
fall on sb/sth, rest on sb/sth His glance fell on a pile of papers at one side of the desk.
PREP. at a ~ The software allows you to see at a glance what fonts you have on the computer.
with a ~ With a quick glance at the time, she stood up and prepared to leave.
without a ~ He left without a backward glance.
~ at A glance at my watch told me it was already past six o'clock.
~ of He ignored my glance of disapproval.
~ over He kept throwing nervous glances over his shoulder.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

glance
verb
ADV. briefly, quickly, sharply Norton glanced sharply at him.
anxiously, fearfully, nervously She glanced nervously over her shoulder.
curiously glancing curiously about him
covertly He glanced covertly at his watch.
barely, hardly She barely glanced at him.
down, up She glanced up at him.
VERB + GLANCE pause to, turn to He turned to glance in our direction.
happen to At that moment she happened to glance up.
PREP. about/around/round She glanced around the room.
across/over She glanced across to where the others were standing chatting.
at She glanced briefly at his lapel badge.
towards He glanced towards the kitchen.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

look an act of looking at something:
Let me have a look at the map.
I took a quick look around the room.
glance a quick look at something before looking away again:
Susan cast a quick glance at me (=she looked quickly at me).
He could not resist a sidelong glance (=quickly looking to the side) to see what was happening on the other side of the road.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
gaze a long steady look:
Eddie fixed his gaze on the floor.
She looked up and met his gaze (=looked at him when he was looking at her).
stare a long direct look, especially in an unfriendly way or in a way that shows you are surprised:
He was watching me with a cold stare.
My cheery ‘Good Morning’ was met with a blank stare (=a stare which shows no emotion).
glare an angry look at someone:
She gave him a hostile glare as he entered the room.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
give somebody a stare
Doyle gave her a long stare.
fix somebody with a stare literary (=stare at someone)
He fixed her with a cool stare.
return sb’s stare (=stare back at them)
I returned his stare and he looked away.
meet sb’s stare (=look back at them)
Alan met Susan’s outraged stare calmly.
a hard stare (=very steady, with a lot of attention)
As he passed, he gave us a hard stare.
a long stare
The man fixed him with a long, deliberate stare.
a blank stare (=showing no emotion, understanding, or interest)
Mention his name, and you get mostly blank stares.
a vacant stare (=seeming not to notice or be thinking anything)
She was gazing out of the window with a vacant stare.
a fixed/unwavering/unblinking stare (=with your eyes not moving at all)
His unwavering stare was making me feel pretty uneasy.
a cold/stony stare (=unfriendly)
I smiled and said "hello" but only got a cold stare.
a cool stare (=calm)
When I expressed surprise, he responded with a cool stare.
curious stares
They ignored the curious stares directed at them.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
give something/somebody a glance
He gave Imran a quick glance.
take a glance (also have a glance British English)
She took a quick glance around the office.
cast/throw a glance (=look quickly)
She cast a shy glance toward Shelby.
shoot a glance (=look extremely quickly)
He shot a glance at Ellen, making sure she understood him.
steal a glance (=look quickly and secretly)
Alice stole a quick glance in the mirror to check her hair.
exchange glances (=look at each other quickly)
Mai exchanged glances with Tatsuya.
sb’s glance falls on something (=someone looks at something)
Geoff’s glance fell on the broken vase.
a quick/brief glance
I had little time for more than a quick glance around the house.
a cursory glance (=a very quick look without much attention to details)
I cast a cursory glance over the clothes.
a fleeting glance (=a very quick look)
Stephen exchanged a fleeting glance with his father.
a backwards glance
He took a quick backwards glance at the house, and then continued walking.
a sidelong/sideways glance (=a way of looking by moving your eyes to the side)
Christina gave her husband a sidelong glance.
a casual glance (=without any serious interest or attention)
The bench would have been difficult to see by a casual glance.
a meaningful glance (=clearly showing what you think)
They exchanged meaningful glances.
a furtive glance (=a quick secret look)
Della gave Chris a furtive glance.
a nervous glance
He shot a nervous glance at his wife.
a warning glance
She cast a warning glance at Elena.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
lower/drop your gaze (=look down)
Her eyes met his and she immediately dropped her gaze.
avert your gaze (=look away)
Miller averted his eyes from the beggars that lined the streets.
meet sb’s gaze (=look at someone who is looking at you)
He said nothing, but met her gaze.
hold sb’s gaze (=keep looking at someone who is looking at you)
He held her gaze for a few seconds, then continued eating.
avoid sb’s gaze (=not look at someone)
I avoided his gaze and just looked out of the window.
fix your gaze on somebody/something (=look at someone or something continuously)
He fixed his gaze on the wall behind her.
keep your gaze (fixed) on somebody/something (=keep looking at someone or something)
I kept my gaze fixed on the television and didn’t look at him as he left the room.
sb’s gaze falls on somebody/something (=someone looks at someone or something)
Fisher’s gaze fell on Mr. Grant.
sb’s gaze moves/travels/shifts/sweeps etc
His gaze travelled over the still water to the other side of the lake.
a steady gaze (=a look in which you do not look away)
Jess felt embarrassed under his steady gaze.
an intense gaze (=when someone looks at someone or something with concentration)
His intense gaze never left Delaney.
a piercing gaze (=a look that seems to see what you are thinking)
He fixed the boy with a piercing gaze and waited for his response.
a steely gaze (=a determined look)
He fixed a steely gaze on his opponent.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

glance
̈ɪɡlɑ:ns
See: at first glance or at first sight

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲