glimpse
[noun]
Synonyms:
- look, glance, peek, peep, sight, sighting
[verb]
Synonyms:
- catch sight of, espy, sight, spot, spy, view

---

English Thesaurus: look, glance, glimpse, gaze, stare, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. glimpse¹ /ɡlɪmps/ noun [countable]

1. a quick look at someone or something that does not allow you to see them clearly
glimpse of
They caught a glimpse of a dark green car.
brief/fleeting/quick glimpse (=a very short look)
We only had a fleeting glimpse of the river.

2. a short experience of something that helps you begin to understand it
glimpse of/into/at
a glimpse of what life might be like in the future

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. glimpse² verb [transitive]
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Perhaps from an unrecorded Old English glimsian]

1. to see someone or something for a moment without getting a complete view of them Synonym : catch sight of:
I glimpsed a figure at the window.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say catch sight of somebody/something rather than glimpse somebody/something:
I caught sight of him as he was getting into his car.

2. to begin to understand something for a moment:
For the first time she glimpsed the truth about her sister.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

glimpse
noun
I. brief sight of sb/sth
ADJ. brief, fleeting, the merest, momentary, quick | occasional They caught occasional glimpses of great birds circling.
tantalizing This was my first tantalizing glimpse of the islands.
VERB + GLIMPSE catch, get, have, take Thousands of people had gathered, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen. We only had a fleeting glimpse of the sun all day.
afford sb
PREP. ~ at He took a quick glimpse at the map.
~ of We got just a brief glimpse of the car as it rushed by.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

glimpse
II. brief experience of sth
ADJ. brief | fascinating, intriguing | rare This scene may give a rare glimpse of Charles's personal style as king.
VERB + GLIMPSE get, have, take | afford sb, allow sb, give sb, offer (sb), provide That smile afforded her a brief glimpse of the other side of Adam Burns.
PREP. ~ at The exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse at life beneath the waves.
~ into Take a glimpse into the future of rail travel.
~ of She got a glimpse of a very different way of life.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

look an act of looking at something:
Let me have a look at the map.
I took a quick look around the room.
glance a quick look at something before looking away again:
Susan cast a quick glance at me (=she looked quickly at me).
He could not resist a sidelong glance (=quickly looking to the side) to see what was happening on the other side of the road.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
gaze a long steady look:
Eddie fixed his gaze on the floor.
She looked up and met his gaze (=looked at him when he was looking at her).
stare a long direct look, especially in an unfriendly way or in a way that shows you are surprised:
He was watching me with a cold stare.
My cheery ‘Good Morning’ was met with a blank stare (=a stare which shows no emotion).
glare an angry look at someone:
She gave him a hostile glare as he entered the room.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
give somebody a stare
Doyle gave her a long stare.
fix somebody with a stare literary (=stare at someone)
He fixed her with a cool stare.
return sb’s stare (=stare back at them)
I returned his stare and he looked away.
meet sb’s stare (=look back at them)
Alan met Susan’s outraged stare calmly.
a hard stare (=very steady, with a lot of attention)
As he passed, he gave us a hard stare.
a long stare
The man fixed him with a long, deliberate stare.
a blank stare (=showing no emotion, understanding, or interest)
Mention his name, and you get mostly blank stares.
a vacant stare (=seeming not to notice or be thinking anything)
She was gazing out of the window with a vacant stare.
a fixed/unwavering/unblinking stare (=with your eyes not moving at all)
His unwavering stare was making me feel pretty uneasy.
a cold/stony stare (=unfriendly)
I smiled and said "hello" but only got a cold stare.
a cool stare (=calm)
When I expressed surprise, he responded with a cool stare.
curious stares
They ignored the curious stares directed at them.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
give something/somebody a glance
He gave Imran a quick glance.
take a glance (also have a glance British English)
She took a quick glance around the office.
cast/throw a glance (=look quickly)
She cast a shy glance toward Shelby.
shoot a glance (=look extremely quickly)
He shot a glance at Ellen, making sure she understood him.
steal a glance (=look quickly and secretly)
Alice stole a quick glance in the mirror to check her hair.
exchange glances (=look at each other quickly)
Mai exchanged glances with Tatsuya.
sb’s glance falls on something (=someone looks at something)
Geoff’s glance fell on the broken vase.
a quick/brief glance
I had little time for more than a quick glance around the house.
a cursory glance (=a very quick look without much attention to details)
I cast a cursory glance over the clothes.
a fleeting glance (=a very quick look)
Stephen exchanged a fleeting glance with his father.
a backwards glance
He took a quick backwards glance at the house, and then continued walking.
a sidelong/sideways glance (=a way of looking by moving your eyes to the side)
Christina gave her husband a sidelong glance.
a casual glance (=without any serious interest or attention)
The bench would have been difficult to see by a casual glance.
a meaningful glance (=clearly showing what you think)
They exchanged meaningful glances.
a furtive glance (=a quick secret look)
Della gave Chris a furtive glance.
a nervous glance
He shot a nervous glance at his wife.
a warning glance
She cast a warning glance at Elena.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
lower/drop your gaze (=look down)
Her eyes met his and she immediately dropped her gaze.
avert your gaze (=look away)
Miller averted his eyes from the beggars that lined the streets.
meet sb’s gaze (=look at someone who is looking at you)
He said nothing, but met her gaze.
hold sb’s gaze (=keep looking at someone who is looking at you)
He held her gaze for a few seconds, then continued eating.
avoid sb’s gaze (=not look at someone)
I avoided his gaze and just looked out of the window.
fix your gaze on somebody/something (=look at someone or something continuously)
He fixed his gaze on the wall behind her.
keep your gaze (fixed) on somebody/something (=keep looking at someone or something)
I kept my gaze fixed on the television and didn’t look at him as he left the room.
sb’s gaze falls on somebody/something (=someone looks at someone or something)
Fisher’s gaze fell on Mr. Grant.
sb’s gaze moves/travels/shifts/sweeps etc
His gaze travelled over the still water to the other side of the lake.
a steady gaze (=a look in which you do not look away)
Jess felt embarrassed under his steady gaze.
an intense gaze (=when someone looks at someone or something with concentration)
His intense gaze never left Delaney.
a piercing gaze (=a look that seems to see what you are thinking)
He fixed the boy with a piercing gaze and waited for his response.
a steely gaze (=a determined look)
He fixed a steely gaze on his opponent.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲