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| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Origin: | Perhaps from an unrecorded Old English glimsian |
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glimpse2 [transitive]
1 to see someone or something for a moment without getting a complete view of them [= catch sight of]: 
I glimpsed a figure at the window.
I glimpsed a figure at the window.2 to begin to understand something for a moment : For the first time she glimpsed the truth about her sister.
For the first time she glimpsed the truth about her sister.WORD CHOICE: WORD CHOICE:
glance, glimpseglance (verb) means 'to look quickly and deliberately' and a glance is the act of quickly looking at someone or something • I glanced at my watch. • She gave me an amused glance.glimpse (verb) means 'to see something or someone by chance for a very short time' and a glimpse is a sight that you see by chance for a very short time • I glimpsed someone behind the curtain. • We got a glimpse of her face as she hurried past. ➔ See also glance
WORD CHOICE: glance, glimpseglance (verb) means 'to look quickly and deliberately' and a glance is the act of quickly looking at someone or something • I glanced at my watch. • She gave me an amused glance.glimpse (verb) means 'to see something or someone by chance for a very short time' and a glimpse is a sight that you see by chance for a very short time • I glimpsed someone behind the curtain. • We got a glimpse of her face as she hurried past. ➔ See also glance
