I. glance 1 /ɡlɑːns $ ɡlæns/ BrE AmE 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:
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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 SYN 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 SYN reflect off :
The sun was glancing off the icy tips of gleaming rock.
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THESAURUS
▪ look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
II. glance 2 W3 BrE AmE 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.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ 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.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + glance
▪ 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.
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THESAURUS
▪ look an act of looking at something:
Let me have a look at the map.
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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) .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.’