glancing

1 of 2

adjective

glanc·​ing ˈglan(t)-siŋ How to pronounce glancing (audio)
Synonyms of glancingnext
1
: hitting so as to glance off
a glancing blow
2
: incidental, indirect
made glancing allusions to her past
glancingly
ˈglan(t)-siŋ-lē How to pronounce glancing (audio)
adverb

glancing

2 of 2

present participle of glance entry 1

Examples of glancing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
These gentler, more glancing interactions often result in a merger, too. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2026 Glaser, from a very glancing stylistic consideration, looks like a multicam by comparison. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2024 Even so, Joonam is too scattershot and distanced from culture and politics to resonate with the news — potentially the film’s greatest draw — in more than a glancing way. — Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2023 One of the victims suffered a serious injury to the forearm and the second a more glancing bite to the leg, police told media outlets. — Antonio Planas, NBC News, 19 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for glancing

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see glance entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of glancing was circa 1541

Phrases Containing glancing

Rhymes for glancing

See All Rhymes for glancing

Browse Nearby Words

glancer
glancing
glancing angle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Glancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glancing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on glancing

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glancing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All