glance
glance — verb
1. to briefly look at someone or something, usually for such a short time that you
to briefly look at someone or something, usually for such a short time that you do not examine the person or thing fully
Tunde glanced at his watch and quickly walked towards the meeting room.
glance + at + noun phrase (object of look)
Sirin glanced through the report during her lunch break.
glance + through (quickly read)
The doctor glanced over the patient's notes before entering the examination room.
Naoko glanced around the café to see if any of her friends had arrived.
Kabir glanced nervously toward the window when he heard a loud noise outside.
- stare
to look at something for a long time, often without moving your eyes
文法句型
glance + at + noun phrase
glance + through/over + noun phrase
用法筆記
Glance suggests a voluntary, brief look, not a stare or a long observation. When you glance at something, you choose to look — unlike 'catch a glimpse of', which implies the look happens by chance.
常見錯誤
2. when light or a shiny surface sends back a brief, bright flash, often after hitt
when light or a shiny surface sends back a brief, bright flash, often after hitting a smooth surface at an angle
Sunlight glanced off the polished marble floor of the hotel lobby.
glance + off (surface reflecting light)
The morning sun glanced across the lake, creating a path of golden sparkles.
Light from the passing car glanced briefly on the kitchen window.
Moonlight glanced along the blade of the old sword in the museum display.
文法句型
glance + off + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used in literary or descriptive writing. The subject is normally a light source (sunlight, moonlight, a beam) rather than a person. Distinguish from verb sense 1 — the light itself does the 'looking' as a metaphor.
3. in cricket, to send the ball behind the batter by turning the bat face to meet t
in cricket, to send the ball behind the batter by turning the bat face to meet the ball with a gentle pushing motion rather than a full swing
Eitan glanced the ball past the wicketkeeper for an easy run.
glance + ball + direction phrase (cricket context)
The experienced batter glanced a fast delivery down to the fine-leg boundary.
Christopher tried to glance a short ball but misjudged the angle and was caught.
Antonia glanced the ball neatly behind square and set off for a quick run.
文法句型
glance + noun phrase (the ball)
用法筆記
This sense is specific to cricket and is primarily used in British English and other Commonwealth countries where cricket is played. Outside those contexts, the sense will not be understood.
glance — noun
1. a short act of looking at someone or something, often lasting only a second and
a short act of looking at someone or something, often lasting only a second and without careful attention
Rania stole a glance at her exam results before showing them to her mother.
stole a glance (looked secretly)
A single glance at the messy kitchen told Antonia that her children had been baking.
Beatrix exchanged a quick glance with her brother across the dinner table.
Hana took one glance at the long queue and decided to come back later.
From a single glance at the sky, the sailor knew a storm was coming.
- stare
a long, fixed look at someone or something
文法句型
a glance + at + noun phrase
with a glance + preposition phrase
常見錯誤
2. used to say that something is understood, seen, or judged immediately from a sin
used to say that something is understood, seen, or judged immediately from a single quick look, without needing to study it carefully
The manager could tell at a glance that the shop floor was understaffed.
at a glance — immediate understanding from one look
At a glance, the two paintings look identical, but the expert noticed small differences.
The chart shows the key figures at a glance.
Élise knew at a glance that the suitcase would not fit in the overhead compartment.
- immediately
more general — without delay; not limited to visual understanding
- at first sight
similar, but stronger on first impression; can be about people or situations
文法句型
at a glance + clause
at a glance — can be sentence adverbial
用法筆記
This is a fixed phrase — do not change 'a' to another determiner. 'At a glance' functions as an adverbial, usually placed mid-sentence after a modal or before the main verb, or at the start of the sentence.
常見錯誤
3. used to describe your first, usually surface-level opinion about something, whic
used to describe your first, usually surface-level opinion about something, which may change when you look more carefully or think about it more
At first glance, the house seemed perfect, but the inspection revealed serious problems.
at first glance — initial impression that may change
The proposal appeared straightforward at first glance, yet it contained several legal complications.
The puzzle seemed easy at first glance, but took Sade over an hour.
At first glance, the brothers look different, but they share the same smile.
- on the surface
similar meaning — how something seems at first, before deeper examination
- initially
more general — at the beginning; not limited to visual impressions
文法句型
at first glance, + clause
用法筆記
Unlike 'at a glance', which emphasises the speed of seeing or understanding, 'at first glance' emphasises that the initial observation may be misleading. The sentence usually continues with information that corrects or complicates the first impression.