glimpse

Plural: glimpses

Noun

• a quick look
• a brief or incomplete view
  • "from the window he could catch a glimpse of the lake"
• a vague indication
  • "he caught only a glimpse of the professor's meaning"
• Chiefly followed by of: a brief and incomplete look.
• A brief, sudden flash of light; a glimmer.
• A faint or imprecise idea; an inkling.
• A brief, unspecified amount of time; a moment.
• A faint (and often temporary) appearance; a tinge.

Verb

Verb Forms: glimpsed, glimpsing, glimpses

• To see or perceive something briefly or momentarily.
• catch a glimpse of or see briefly
  • "We glimpsed the Queen as she got into her limousine"
• To see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely.
• To perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely.
• Chiefly followed by at or upon: to look at briefly and incompletely; to glance.
• To shine with a faint, unsteady light; to glimmer, to shimmer.
• To appear or start to appear, especially faintly or unclearly; to dawn.
• Sometimes followed by out: to provide a brief and incomplete look.

Examples

• I glimpsed a potential bingo, but then my opponent shrewdly blocked the spot.
• I have only begun to glimpse the magnitude of the problem.
• I only got a glimpse of the car, so I can tell you the colour but not the registration number.

Synonyms

coup d'oeil, glance, New York minute, New York second, bat of an eye, bit, blink of an eye, coruscate, crack, eyeblink, flash, gander#Noun, glance#Noun, gleam, glimmer#Noun, glimpse, glisten, glitter, half a mo, hint#Noun, instant, jiff, jiffy, jot, luster, minute, mo, moment, no time, peek#Noun, sec, second, sheen, shimmer, shine, span, sparkle, split-second, spurt, stound, tick, trace#Noun, trice, twink, twinkle, twinkling, while

Anagrams of glimpse