glimpse
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a quick look at something that you do not see clearly or fully.
n.a brief and often incomplete view of something. Usually followed by the preposition 'of'.
Simple“I caught a glimpse of the famous actor as he ran into the hotel.”
In context“Through the dense morning fog, the hikers caught a fleeting glimpse of the mountain peak before it was obscured once more.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'catch a glimpse of'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a short or small look into a complicated idea or situation.
n.a momentary or partial perception of an intangible concept or situation.
Simple“The documentary gives us a glimpse into the daily lives of deep-sea divers.”
In context“The leaked documents provided a fascinating glimpse into the internal power struggles of the administration during the crisis.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'into'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to see something for a very short time.
v.to see or perceive someone or something briefly and incompletely. Transitive — takes a direct object.
Simple“She glimpsed a bright red bird flying through the trees.”
In context“As the train sped past the station, he glimpsed his old friend standing on the platform among the commuters.”
UsageIn the active voice, the object follows the verb directly without a preposition.
Antonyms
“Across Scotland, lucky skygazers have caught glimpses of the eclipse - despite cloud covering much of the view.”
“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.”
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”)
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.