perceive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses.
I perceived an object looming through the mist.
- Synonyms:
- distinguish, descry, observe, discover, note
-
to recognize, discern, envision, or understand: This is a nice idea but I perceive difficulties in putting it into practice.
I perceive a note of sarcasm in your voice.
This is a nice idea but I perceive difficulties in putting it into practice.
verb
-
to become aware of (something) through the senses, esp the sight; recognize or observe
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to come to comprehend; grasp
Related Words
See notice.
Other Word Forms
- nonperceiving adjective
- perceivability noun
- perceivable adjective
- perceivably adverb
- perceiver noun
- perceivingness noun
- reperceive verb (used with object)
- self-perceiving adjective
- unperceiving adjective
Etymology
Origin of perceive
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perceiven, from unattested Anglo-French perceivre, for perçoivre, from Latin percipere “to lay hold of, grasp,” equivalent to per- per- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Also,” the 1990 study said, “passenger waiting following a game is psychologically perceived as being three to four times longer than actual waiting time.”
From Los Angeles Times
Medical schools were told that their curriculum should include content about “the diverse manner in which people perceive health and illness” and the “basic principles of culturally competent healthcare.”
“We should worry about tight lending standards getting that bit tighter, lower rated credit spreads getting priced that bit wider, and perceived dodgy or vulnerable exposures coming under more scrutiny.”
From Barron's
Encouraging more sustainable eating habits depends in part on understanding how people perceive the environmental footprint of different foods.
From Science Daily
“We don’t think the Fed or its stakeholders perceive it as needing that type of turnaround,” he said.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
