glancing between

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "glancing between" is correct and can be used in written English.
You would use this phrase to indicate quick or fleeting glances between two or more things. For example, "The child glanced between their parents, not sure how to proceed."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

But on that winter morning in 1999 when he posed in his office for the portrait that now hangs at New York University, where he is a trustee, Tisch at times looked more preoccupied than powerful, glancing between the man painting him and the computers that tracked the tremors in his $2.1 billion fortune.

Forbes

He illustrates his prints entirely in Photoshop, constantly glancing between his screen, a stack of Studio Ghibli reference books, and the aforementioned two-volume book about Hasui.

Vice

"We were a newspaper that was looking after the real serious concerns of our readers," she said, glancing between her race-horse trainer husband Charlie, the judge and lead lawyer.

Huffington Post

Among the book's many tricks and traps and desperate people, it is the constantly stunning logic of Walsh's sentences that hold the ship together, at once both aurally resonant and bizarre, like, "By glancing between my own bites, I supervised my wife's eating".

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Dan Barber paused, and there was a quick, is-this-O.K.-in-front-of-a-civilian? glance between him and the other chefs before he went on.

The New Yorker

After an exchange during which Ms. Myers expressed fear of going too short in the back and Ms. Rummo warned of a mullet if she didn't, Ms. Myers held the iPad up to the mirror, glanced between her reflection and the digital image of Ms. DeGeneres, and bravely declared: "Let's do it".

The New York Times

It phases in and out of focus as you glance between woman and celestial bodies.

Vice

"Blue Sunday" is a glancing encounter between two highway drifters, with gleaming 12-string guitar; "Have Love Will Travel" and "Like a Diamond" remember romances that strayed apart.

The New York Times - Arts

And perhaps most directly, you can look for rare, glancing collisions between normal matter in a detector here on Earth, and the dark matter cloud the Earth is assumed to be continually rushing through.

The Guardian

In 2000, in the glancing moment between Duflo finishing her Ph.D. at M.I.T. and accepting tenure there, she began to work with Raghabendra Chattopadhyay, an economics professor in Calcutta, and together they confirmed that in the state of West Bengal the selection of women-only seats had been made with fastidious randomness.

The New Yorker

The glancing angle between the incident X-ray beam and the sample surface was set to be at 0.255° i.e., close to the critical angle.

Nanoscale Research Letters

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "glancing between" to vividly depict a character or observer quickly shifting their attention between multiple points, creating a sense of alertness or indecision.

Common error

Avoid using "glancing between" when describing prolonged or intent observation. The phrase implies brief, fleeting looks, not a sustained gaze.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "glancing between" functions as a prepositional phrase, often used adverbially to modify a verb of action, describing how someone is looking or observing. Ludwig provides examples where it modifies actions like posing for a portrait or illustrating prints, indicating a shifting focus of attention.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Science

15%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "glancing between" is a prepositional phrase that describes a quick, alternating gaze between two or more objects or points. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and indicates divided attention or a comparative assessment. Predominantly found in news and media, the phrase maintains a neutral register, allowing for flexible use across various writing styles. Remember to use "glancing between" to portray quick shifts in attention, and avoid it when describing prolonged, focused observation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

alternating glances between

Focuses on the action of alternating looks.

shifting gaze from one to the other

Emphasizes a smooth transition in looking.

looking back and forth

Simplifies the description of visual movement.

diverting eyes between

Highlights the act of turning one's eyes.

distributing glances between

Suggests a deliberate division of attention.

casting looks from side to side

Details the physical action of moving the eyes.

scanning between

Implies a more thorough search with the eyes.

sweeping gaze between

Suggests a broad and rapid movement of the eyes.

darting eyes between

Implies quick and nervous eye movements.

oscillating vision between

Formally describes a back-and-forth visual movement.

FAQs

How can I effectively use "glancing between" in a sentence?

Use "glancing between" to describe a quick shifting of one's gaze or attention between two or more things. For example: "He was "glancing between" the road and his phone."

What phrases are similar to "glancing between"?

Similar phrases include "alternating glances between", "looking back and forth", or "shifting gaze from one to the other".

Is it correct to say "glanced between" instead of "glancing between"?

While "glanced between" might be grammatically correct in some contexts, "glancing between" is used to describe an ongoing action of shifting one's gaze back and forth. Consider the intended meaning when choosing the tense.

What's the difference between "glancing at" and "glancing between"?

"Glancing at" refers to a brief look at something, while "glancing between" describes the action of quickly shifting one's gaze between two or more things. The former suggests a single, quick look, while the latter implies a repetitive action.