All 5 Uses of
glimpse
in
The War of the Worlds
- And looking across space with instruments, and intelligences such as we have scarcely dreamed of, they see, at its nearest distance only 35,000,000 of miles sunward of them, a morning star of hope, our own warmer planet, green with vegetation and grey with water, with a cloudy atmosphere eloquent of fertility, with glimpses through its drifting cloud wisps of broad stretches of populous country and narrow, navy-crowded seas.†
Chpt 1.1glimpses = briefly sees; or instances of briefly seeing
- Even at this first encounter, this first glimpse, I was overcome with disgust and dread.†
Chpt 1.4glimpse = a quick look or partial understanding
- After the glimpse I had had of the Martians emerging from the cylinder in which they had come to the earth from their planet, a kind of fascination paralysed my actions.†
Chpt 1.5
- I did not succeed in getting a glimpse of the common, for even Horsell and Chobham church towers were in the hands of the military authorities.†
Chpt 1.9 *
- Here again on the Surrey side were black dust that had once been smoke, and dead bodies—a heap near the approach to the station; but we had no glimpse of the Martians until we were some way towards Barnes.†
Chpt 2.1
Definition:
a quick look or partial understanding
The exact meaning of glimpse can depend upon its context. For example:
- "I caught a glimpse of her when I was walking to class." -- a very quick look
- "I glimpsed at the headlines." -- looked quickly
- "Reading the book gave me a glimpse of the life of a devout Muslim immigrant in America." -- a quick, incomplete view