1 B2 neutral
To hit a surface at an angle and deflect away rather than penetrating or making full contact.
"The arrow glanced off his armor and landed harmlessly in the ground."
inseparable
glance off
B2 neutral inseparable intransitive
To hit a surface at an angle and move off in a different direction, rather than making direct contact.
In plain English
To touch something at an angle and slide off without hitting it straight on.
What does "glance off" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic neutral
To have no effect on someone — for criticism or insults to fail to affect a person.
"The insults seemed to glance off him; he just smiled and walked away."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To glance (look briefly) and move off — in this context 'glance' means to strike lightly and deflect, not to look.
Actually means
To touch something at an angle and slide off without hitting it straight on.
Usage tip
Used in both physical descriptions (bullets, balls, light) and in figurative language (criticism glancing off someone). Often appears in action writing and sports commentary. The image is of a light, angled contact rather than a direct hit.
Words that pair with "glance off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
bullet arrow ball surface helmet rock
How to conjugate "glance off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
glance off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
glances off
he/she/it
Past simple
glanced off
yesterday
Past participle
glanced off
have + pp
-ing form
glancing off
continuous
Hear "glance off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "glance off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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