Glimpse/ɡlɪmps/ Definition 1 of 3Pro Tip 1/3Fleeting Sight Used when something is seen for a very short time and not fully visible. As the car sped by, I just got a glimpse of the driver. Pro Tip 2/3Partial View Glimpse suggests seeing only a part of the whole or seeing incompletely. Through the crowd, I caught a glimpse of the celebrity's hat. Pro Tip 3/3Unexpected Sight Often refers to seeing something surprising or not planned. We were walking when we got a glimpse of a shooting star.