glancing blow
noun
: a blow with less than full force that falls off to one side
The falling tile struck him with a glancing blow on the head.
Examples of glancing blow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even a glancing blow can make the difference between a galaxy filled with stars and no galaxy at all.
—
Lee Billings, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026
However, this round of rainfall will be more of a glancing blow for San Antonio, with more widespread storms expected to stay farther north, from the Hill Country toward Austin.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2026
Aurora chasers will also be getting excited about the prospect of a possible glancing blow from the speedy CME released during the eruption.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Here are the scenarios that are in play: Scenario 1: A glancing blow
This scenario is most likely at this time given recent computer model projections.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
This new storm will deliver a glancing blow to southern New England on Sunday before quickly racing out to sea.
—Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
That driver was lucky: The train struck only a glancing blow to the car’s side, and the driver and his passengers had exited the car before the crash.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
Northern Lights: Why To Be On Alert During Fall
Even a glancing blow of a CME can cause impressive — and unpredictable — displays of aurora during fall and spring, such as a G2-class geomagnetic storm on Tuesday, Sept. 9 that was not forecast.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The question is this: Will that storm hit the team’s rebuilding effort head-on, or will the storm deliver merely a glancing blow?
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 31 July 2025
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Lee Billings, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026
However, this round of rainfall will be more of a glancing blow for San Antonio, with more widespread storms expected to stay farther north, from the Hill Country toward Austin.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2026
Aurora chasers will also be getting excited about the prospect of a possible glancing blow from the speedy CME released during the eruption.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Here are the scenarios that are in play: Scenario 1: A glancing blow
This scenario is most likely at this time given recent computer model projections.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
This new storm will deliver a glancing blow to southern New England on Sunday before quickly racing out to sea.
—Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
That driver was lucky: The train struck only a glancing blow to the car’s side, and the driver and his passengers had exited the car before the crash.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
Northern Lights: Why To Be On Alert During Fall
Even a glancing blow of a CME can cause impressive — and unpredictable — displays of aurora during fall and spring, such as a G2-class geomagnetic storm on Tuesday, Sept. 9 that was not forecast.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The question is this: Will that storm hit the team’s rebuilding effort head-on, or will the storm deliver merely a glancing blow?
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Glancing blow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glancing%20blow. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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