noun · verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈɡlɪm(p)s/
[ˈɡl̥ɪm(p)s]
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪmps
CMU ARPABET:G L IH1 M P S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Chiefly followed by of: a brief and incomplete look.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
I only got a glimpse of the car, so I can tell you the colour but not the registration number.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: glance, peek, gander
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A brief, sudden flash of light; a glimmer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A faint or imprecise idea; an inkling.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A brief, unspecified amount of time; a moment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bat of an eye, bit, blink of an eye, crack, eyeblink, flash, glimpse, half a mo, instant, jiff, jiffy, jot, minute, mo, moment, New York minute, New York second, no time, sec, second, span, split-second, spurt, stound, tick, trice, twink, twinkle, twinkling, while
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A faint (and often temporary) appearance; a tinge.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: glimmer, hint, trace
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
Examples
I have only begun to glimpse the magnitude of the problem.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
Chiefly followed by at or upon: to look at briefly and incompletely; to glance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To shine with a faint, unsteady light; to glimmer, to shimmer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
he caught only a glimpse of the professor's meaning
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: indication, indicant
15
verb
Meaning 15
catch a glimpse of or see briefly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
We glimpsed the Queen as she got into her limousine
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: see
History
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 Dutch glimp (“glimpse”, noun) 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”)
Across languages
Translations
72 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
бегъл поглед
(begǎl pogled)
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Catalan:
cop d'ull
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Catalan:
ullada
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Dutch:
glimp
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Esperanto:
ekvido
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Finnish:
pilkahdus
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Finnish:
vilahdus
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
French:
aperçu
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Galician:
ollada
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
German:
Blick
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Hebrew:
הצצה
(hatzatza)
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Irish:
spléachadh
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Italian:
occhiata
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Italian:
scorcio
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Māori:
kitenga wheriko
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Māori:
wheriko
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Norman:
apèrchévance
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Occitan:
ulhada
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Persian:
لمز
(lamz)
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Portuguese:
olhadela
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Russian:
бе́глый взгляд
(béglyj vzgljad)
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Scottish Gaelic:
plathadh
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Spanish:
atisbo
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Swedish:
glimt
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Swedish:
skymt
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Welsh:
cip
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Yiddish:
אויגנבליק
(oygnblik)
— brief and incomplete look — see also glance, peek
Bulgarian:
проблясък
(probljasǎk)
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Finnish:
välähdys
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Galician:
asexo
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Galician:
ateibo
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Galician:
relance
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
German:
Aufblitzen
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
German:
Aufleuchten
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Macedonian:
проблесок
(problesok)
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Portuguese:
relance
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Russian:
проблеск
(problesk)
— brief, sudden flash of light — see also glimmer
Aromanian:
ndzãrescu
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Bulgarian:
съзирам
(sǎziram)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Bulgarian:
зървам
(zǎrvam)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Chinese Mandarin:
瞥見 /瞥见
(piējiàn)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Czech:
zahlédnout
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Dutch:
een glimp opvangen
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Esperanto:
ekvidi
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Finnish:
silmäillä
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Finnish:
vilkaista
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
French:
entrevoir
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Galician:
albiscar
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
German:
entdecken
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
German:
erhaschen
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Greek:
βλέπω φευγαλέα
(vlépo fevgaléa)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Italian:
intravedere
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Māori:
kite wheriko
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Māori:
wheriko
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Occitan:
entrevéser
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Polish:
dostrzegać
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Polish:
dostrzec
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Portuguese:
vislumbrar
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Romanian:
întrezări
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Romanian:
zări
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Russian:
бе́гло взгляну́ть
(béglo vzgljanútʹ)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Russian:
гля́нуть
(gljánutʹ)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Russian:
уви́деть ме́льком
(uvídetʹ mélʹkom)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Spanish:
atisbar
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Spanish:
entrever
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Spanish:
ojear
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Spanish:
vislumbrar
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Swedish:
glimta
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Swedish:
skymta
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Thai:
เหลือบ
(lʉ̀ʉap)
— to see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely; to perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely
Finnish:
siintää
— to appear or start to appear, especially faintly or unclearly — see also dawn
Finnish:
vilauttaa
— to provide a brief and incomplete look
