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
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A couple of weeks later, Hurricane Irma flattened parts of the Leeward Islands, in the Caribbean, while striking a glancing blow to Puerto Rico. Michael Oppenheimer, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020 These systems also usually hit San Diego at an angle, amounting to little more than a glancing blow in many cases. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2024

Dictionary Entries Near glancing blow

Cite this Entry

“Glancing blow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glancing%20blow. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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