catch a glimpse of (someone or something)

To see someone or something very briefly or suddenly. Wendy only caught a glimpse of the burglar for a second, so she couldn't describe his appearance to the police. I didn't know what the bunny was running from, until I caught a glimpse of the dog that was chasing it. A: "OK, you didn't meet that actor, you only caught a glimpse of him for a split second while he was getting into a car." B: "So? It was still exciting!"