glimpse
Americannoun
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glimpses
plural
-
a very brief, passing look, sight, or view.
-
a momentary or slight appearance.
-
a vague idea; inkling.
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Archaic. a gleam, as of light.
verb (used with object)
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glimpses,
present (3rd person singular)
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glimpsed,
past participle, past
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glimpsing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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glimpses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
glimpsed,
past participle, past
-
glimpsing
present participle
-
to look briefly; glance (usually followed byat ).
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Archaic. to come into view; appear faintly.
noun
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a brief or incomplete view
to catch a glimpse of the sea
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a vague indication
he had a glimpse of what the lecturer meant
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archaic a glimmer of light
verb
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(tr) to catch sight of briefly or momentarily
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to look (at) briefly or cursorily; glance (at)
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archaic (intr) to shine faintly; glimmer
Usage
Glimpse is sometimes wrongly used where glance is meant: he gave a quick glance (not glimpse ) at his watch
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glimpsesimple
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glimpsessimple
-
have glimpsedperfect
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has glimpsedperfect
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am glimpsingprogressive
-
are glimpsingprogressive
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is glimpsingprogressive
-
have been glimpsingperfect progressive
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has been glimpsingperfect progressive
Past
-
glimpsedsimple
-
had glimpsedperfect
-
was glimpsingprogressive
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were glimpsingprogressive
-
had been glimpsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glimpse
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English glimsen (verb); cognate with Middle High German glimsen “to glow”; akin to glimmer
Explanation
If you had a brief or incomplete look at something, you had a glimpse. "He didn't mean to peek, but he got a glimpse of his birthday present when his wife tried to sneak it into the house. Of course, it's pretty hard to hide a ladder." You can use glimpse as a noun (like when you "catch a glimpse of someone") or as a verb (like when you "glimpse in someone's direction"). Although the word glimpse is usually used to describe the physical act of sneaking a peek at something, you can also use the noun glimpse to indicate a vague idea or suggestion. Perhaps, you can have a glimpse into your future by observing your parents' actions or by consulting a Tarot card reader.
Vocabulary lists containing glimpse
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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List 15
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But that did not deter people - colanders, cereal boxes and pieces of paper were deployed to offer them a glimpse of the partial eclipse safely.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The products offer a glimpse of a much bigger business.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Jon Bruno lives a couple of blocks away from the billboard in West Hollywood and ducked out of his house Friday morning to try to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
In one hack that an OpenAI researcher called “a glimpse into the near future,” a team of agents banded together and plotted their attack for weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Dad hastily clicked out of whatever he was looking at, but not before Jonah caught a glimpse of the FBI crest—Thanks, Dad, you really think you have to hide that from me?
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Heading west from Guerneville, you roll through Monte Rio, seeing more redwoods, cabins and glimpses of river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He showed glimpses of his undoubted ability, but there was a feeling among some supporters that they had not yet seen enough of Alexander-Arnold to judge his impact.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
There are no interesting choices, no glimpses of an artist’s vision.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
There are glimpses of dogs’ roles during the Middle Ages, the era of plantation slavery and the London Blitz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Every secret of the body was rendered up—bone risen through flesh, sacrilegious glimpses of an intestine or an optic nerve.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
In his enthusiasm, he may have glimpsed a sliver of truth long before the rest of us knew how to look for it.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
While Embo didn’t have much screen time, he can be glimpsed among the scum and villainy in a handful of episodes including Season 2 Episode 17, Season 5 Episode 14 and Season 6 Episode 5.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Who down there, waiting in the out-the-door Sweetgreen line or descending into the subway, has glimpsed the void in the way I have?
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
There was a third man in this drama, little known to almost everyone, who was at the event, glimpsed in a brief shot in the official highlights video – David Stern.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
Through the glare of the sun he glimpsed a sheet of green river, and an overhanging branch approaching him fast.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
For many people, even glimpsing a hornet's stinger is enough to cause alarm.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2025
Disgruntled merchants have blocked off the famous Maradona Square in Naples, preventing tourists and visitors from glimpsing the gigantic mural of the Argentine footballer, in a row over bureaucracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
Niagara Falls State Park has various vantage points ideal for glimpsing the natural phenomenon, and there will be interpretive staff offering educational programming in conjunction with the event.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 4, 2024
Bird watchers are flocking to northeastern Wisconsin in hopes of glimpsing a shorebird last seen in the state almost 180 years ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
Now they were creeping down the stairs in hopes of glimpsing the aftermath of the night’s revelry.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
