Basic+ Word of the Day: glance

glance (verb, noun) past tense: glanced

Glance means ‘to look quickly.’

• The students glanced at the clock during the boring lecture.
• When the pretty girl entered the room, Ted glanced at her.
• Wesley glanced at his notes before he took the test.

A glance is a brief look.

• Steve and Ally exchanged loving glances throughout the evening.

Common uses

at a glance: with a quick look. Example: “At a glance, the doctor knew that the child had influenza.”

In pop culture

Here is Frank Sinatra singing “Strangers in the Night.” Listen to the first line: “Strangers in the night exchanging glances.”

There are other meanings of glance.