From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcatch a glimpse of somebody/somethingcatch a glimpse of somebody/somethingto see someone or something for a very short time Fans waited for hours at the airport to catch a glimpse of their idol. → catch
Examples from the Corpus
catch a glimpse of somebody/something• He caught a glimpse of a pinup calendar above a dressing table, some bars of Lifebuoy soap.• In the warm yellow light of the dining car windows I caught a glimpse of a woman raising a wine glass.• Back on the main road, Robert caught a glimpse of Aziz the janitor.• Many had waited for hours to catch a glimpse of him.• Sometimes I had caught glimpses of his shadow on the wall.• As they rode cautiously along, Fenella caught glimpses of movement in between the trees.• As she turned to go, Baby Suggs caught a glimpse of some-thing dark on the bed sheet.• This year it is different, and well worth catching a glimpse of the latest from the world's car makers. 