noun

glimpse

GLIHMS

noun

A brief, incomplete view of something.

"She caught a glimpse of the singer as the car sped past."

"The documentary offers a glimpse into life inside the palace."

verb

To see something briefly and incompletely.

"He glimpsed a figure moving in the darkness."

How to Use Glimpse

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA quick, partial look at something, or to see something that way.

Common mistake

A glimpse is about the view being incomplete or obscured; a glance is about the look being brief, but the thing seen can be in full view.

Easily confused with

glance → glimmer →

Common pairings

catch a glimpse brief glimpse glimpse of the future

Word Forms

glimpsed past tense, glimpse plural, glimpsed plural, glimpses plural, glimpses singular, glimpse singular, glimpsed singular, glimpsest singular, glimpsedst singular, glimpseth singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “glimpse” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

She caught a _____ of the singer as the car sped past.

Etymology

From an obsolete Middle English word glimsen, meaning "to glisten" or "to glance with the eyes," related to glimmer.