What does "glimpse" mean?
Chiefly followed by of: a brief and incomplete look.
Glimpse
/ɡlɪm(p)s/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Chiefly followed by of: a brief and incomplete look.
- Grammar: glimpse is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: glance, a little learning, amateurism, apercu.
- Useful contrasts: certainty, complete understanding, complete view.
- Usage evidence: At last he stopped before an old house, and caught another glimpse of the town.
How to use "glimpse"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "glimpse" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "glimpse" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "glimpse" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "glimpse" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "glimpse" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "glance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "glimpse", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Chiefly followed by of: a brief and incomplete look.
"I only got a glimpse of the car, so I can tell you the colour but not the registration number."
- 2 a quick look wordnet
- 3 A brief, sudden flash of light; a glimmer. archaic
"[W]hat may this meane, / That thou, dead corſe, againe in compleate ſteele, / Reuiſſits thus the glimſes of the Moone, / Making night hideous, and vve fooles of nature, / So horridely to ſhake our diſpoſition, / VVith thoughts beyond the reaches of our ſoules?"
- 4 a brief or incomplete view wordnet
- 5 A faint or imprecise idea; an inkling. figuratively
"Every surmise and vaticination of the mind is entitled to a certain respect, and we learn to prefer imperfect theories, and sentences, which contain glimpses of truth, to digested systems which have no one valuable suggestion."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a vague indication wordnet
- 7 A brief, unspecified amount of time; a moment. figuratively, rare
"[…] Alwin smiled, / When aught that from his young lips archly fell / The gloomy film from Harold's eye beguiled; / And pleased for a glimpse appeared the woeful Childe."
- 8 A faint (and often temporary) appearance; a tinge. obsolete
"Reuiued with a glimſe of grace old ſorowes to let fal, / The hidden ſtraines I know and ſecret ſnares of loue: / How ſoone a loke wil print a thought, that neuer may remoue."
Verb
- 1 To see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely. transitive
"Morning!—the Vestal Mother of the Sun / Seem'st thou to be, since from thy bosom born, / (Thou that first glimpsest—like a white-stoled nun!—) / He springeth forth—Oh! thou triumphal Morn!— / His race of glory and of joy to run; […]"
- 2 catch a glimpse of or see briefly wordnet
- 3 To perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely. figuratively, transitive
"I have only begun to glimpse the magnitude of the problem."
- 4 Chiefly followed by at or upon: to look at briefly and incompletely; to glance. intransitive
"The door always opens directly into the kitchen, without any vestibule; and, glimpsing in, you see that a cottager's life must be the very plainest and homeliest that ever was lived by men and women."
- 5 To shine with a faint, unsteady light; to glimmer, to shimmer. intransitive
"O Lothſome place where I / Haue ſene and herd my dere / When in my hart her eye / Hath made her thought appere / By glimſing with ſuch grace / As fortune it ne would, / That laſten any ſpace, / Betwene vs lenger ſhould."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To appear or start to appear, especially faintly or unclearly; to dawn. archaic, intransitive, poetic
"Straitvvaies on heapes the thronging cloudes ariſe, / As though the heauen vvere angry vvith the night, / Deformed ſhadovves, glimpſing in his ſight / As darkenes, for it vvould more darkened be, / Through thoſe poore crannies forcde it ſelfe to ſee."
- 7 Sometimes followed by out: to provide a brief and incomplete look. intransitive, rare
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"At last he stopped before an old house, and caught another glimpse of the town."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "glimpse"?
Common synonyms include: glance, a little learning, amateurism, apercu, behold, blink.
How do you use "glimpse" in a sentence?
At last he stopped before an old house, and caught another glimpse of the town.
How do you pronounce "glimpse"?
Pronounced /ɡlɪm(p)s/.
Etymology
The verb is derived from earlier glimse (obsolete), from Middle English glimsen (“to dazzle; to glisten; to glance with the eyes”), possibly from Old English *glimsian, from Proto-West Germanic *glimmisōjan, from Proto-Germanic *glimō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Doublet of glimmer. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates Middle Dutch glinsen (modern Dutch glinsteren (“to glint, glitter, shimmer, sparkle; to glance”), glimmen (“to gleam, shine”)) Middle High German glimsen (“to glow, smoulder”), glinsen (“to glimmer, shine”) Middle Low German glinsen, glintzen, glinzen (“to shimmer, shine”)