see
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sees,
present (3rd person singular)
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saw,
past
-
seen,
past participle
-
seeing
present participle
-
to perceive with the eyes; look at.
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to view; visit or attend as a spectator.
to see a play.
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to perceive by means of computer vision.
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to scan or view, especially by electronic means.
The satellite can see the entire southern half of the country.
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to perceive (things) mentally; discern; understand.
to see the point of an argument.
- Synonyms:
- comprehend, penetrate
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to construct a mental image of; visualize.
He still saw his father as he was 25 years ago.
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to accept or imagine or suppose as acceptable.
I can't see him as president.
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to be cognizant of; recognize.
to see the good in others;
to see where the mistake is.
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to foresee.
He could see war ahead.
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to ascertain, learn, or find out.
See who is at the door.
- Synonyms:
- determine
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to have knowledge or experience of.
to see service in the foreign corps.
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to make sure.
See that the work is done.
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to meet and converse with.
Are you seeing her at lunch today?
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to receive as a visitor.
The ambassador finally saw him.
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to visit.
He's gone to see his aunt.
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to court, keep company with, or date frequently.
They've been seeing each other for a long time.
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to provide aid or assistance to; take care of.
He's seeing his brother through college.
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to attend or escort.
to see someone home.
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Cards. to match (a bet) or match the bet of (a bettor) by staking an equal sum; call.
I'll see your five and raise you five more.
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to prefer (someone or something) to be as indicated (usually used as a mild oath).
I'll see you in hell before I sell you this house. He'll see the business fail before he admits he's wrong.
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to read or read about.
I saw it in the newspaper.
verb (used without object)
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sees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
saw,
past
-
seen,
past participle
-
seeing
present participle
-
to have the power of sight.
-
to be capable of perceiving by means of computer vision.
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to understand intellectually or spiritually; have insight.
Philosophy teaches us to see.
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to give attention or care.
See, there it goes.
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to find out; make inquiry.
Go and see for yourself.
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to consider; think; deliberate.
Let me see, how does that song go?
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to look about; observe.
They heard the noise and came out to see.
verb phrase
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see off to take leave of someone setting out on a journey; accompany to the place of departure.
I went to the airport to see them off.
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see after to attend to; take care of.
Will you please see after my plants while I'm away?
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see to to take care of; be responsible for.
I'll see to the theater tickets.
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see out to remain with (a task, project, etc.) until its completion.
We decided to see it out, even if it meant another year.
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see about
-
to investigate; inquire about.
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to turn one's attention to; take care of.
He said he would see about getting the license plates.
-
-
see through
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to penetrate to the true nature of; comprehend; detect.
He quickly saw through my story.
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to stay with to the end or until completion; persevere.
to see a difficult situation through.
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noun
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sees
plural
verb
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to perceive with the eyes
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to perceive (an idea) mentally; understand
I explained the problem but he could not see it
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(tr) to perceive with any or all of the senses
I hate to see you so unhappy
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to be aware of in advance; foresee
I can see what will happen if you don't help
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to ascertain or find out (a fact); learn
see who is at the door
-
to make sure (of something) or take care (of something)
see that he gets to bed early
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to consider, deliberate, or decide
see if you can come next week
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(tr) to have experience of; undergo
he had seen much unhappiness in his life
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(tr) to allow to be in a specified condition
I cannot stand by and see a child in pain
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(tr) to be characterized by
this period of history has seen much unrest
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(tr) to meet or pay a visit to
to see one's solicitor
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(tr) to receive, esp as a guest or visitor
the Prime Minister will see the deputation now
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(tr) to frequent the company of
she is seeing a married man
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(tr) to accompany or escort
I saw her to the door
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(tr) to refer to or look up
for further information see the appendix
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(in gambling, esp in poker) to match (another player's bet) or match the bet of (another player) by staking an equal sum
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to the best of my judgment or understanding
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(takes an infinitive) to consider proper, desirable, etc
I don't see fit to allow her to come here
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informal to refuse absolutely to do what one has been asked
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informal to ensure fair treatment of (someone)
if he has cheated you, I'll see you right
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See light 1
-
an expression of farewell
-
informal a parenthetical filler phrase used to make a pause in speaking or add slight emphasis
noun
Synonym Usage
See watch.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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seesimple
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seessimple
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have seenperfect
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has seenperfect
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am seeingprogressive
-
are seeingprogressive
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is seeingprogressive
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have been seeingperfect progressive
-
has been seeingperfect progressive
Past
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sawsimple
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had seenperfect
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was seeingprogressive
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were seeingprogressive
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had been seeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of see1
First recorded before 900; Middle English sen, seen, se, Old English sēon, sēan, sían; cognate with Dutch zien, German sehen, Old Norse sjā, Gothic saihwan
Origin of see2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English se(e), sce, sse, from Old French sie,se, sce, from Latin sēdes “seat”
Explanation
See is what your eyes do. However, this word has loads of meanings: you can see a shrink, which means you're consulting a psychiatrist; or you can be seeing your high school sweetheart, which means you're dating him. See usually means passively observing, while look, which is also something you do with your eyes, is more active and intentional. When someone says, "The president will see you now," the president is sitting there passively, waiting for you to be shown in. You can say "I see," to mean "I understand; I get it." Or you can look into your crystal ball and see into the future, in which case you'd be called a seer.
Vocabulary lists containing see
3-letter words, List 2
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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.
See Examples For:
The mother and son had tickets to see Bonnie Tyler perform live in November this year in Berlin.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
On the economic front, we’ll see Fed minutes, housing-market data, and readings on manufacturing and services activity.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Whether it’s going to see an orchestra show … museums or galleries, we really want to find ways to connect with those institutions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Green Lanterns don’t neatly fit into the Chosen One mold, you see.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Traveling at night is more difficult—the path is uneven beneath her feet, there are snakes hiding in the grass, and the trees make it hard to see what’s in front of her.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Weingart also sees maintaining healthy soil, with limited weed growth competing for water, as an important way of helping vines cope with extreme heat and drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
No 10: Full Confidence by Benjamin Brewis sees players take on the role of prime minister, making decisions through a wave of parliamentary scenarios and trying to remain in power for as long as possible.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Infante sees that selectiveness reflected in the marketplace.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Those are the going rates for what used to be ordinary care: someone who knows you, sees you promptly and has time to think about your test results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
When she sees me watching, her expression turns.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
"But on that day, we saw a man half his body weight and desperate beyond belief."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Triple-A manager Ben Johnson saw the first two homers live with some of his players before heading out to the field for batting practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“His world shrunk. We’re used to 50,000 people and you saw, what, one or two a day?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
For anyone who lived through eight years of Bush and saw Ferrell’s impression of him on “Saturday Night Live,” the real star’s identity is obvious.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
I can’t believe I’m actually living inside the moment I saw a week ago.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
But California hasn’t seen rolling blackouts since that year in large part due to its massive increase in battery energy storage, Seeley said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"My mother has seen her live all across Germany", Enrico said, "but I never got the chance to which is why this was even more special for me."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
They hear the plaintive calls: Have you seen my mother, my husband, my children?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
However, researchers had never seen one take place on a scale like this.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
She’s seen enough misery to last a lifetime.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Poland is seeing an artificial intelligence boom driven by U.S. tech investments, new talent, and supportive government policies.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
“We’re seeing in this country cases, hospitalizations and deaths higher than we’ve seen in over 30 years,” Pan said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
"The greasy pole is always something that sparked intrigue and you'd go and watch it. I don't ever remember seeing a female team though."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Claude’s contribution,” Sumner said, “was seeing how they fit together.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
“They were also concerned to hear that your mother has prevented me from seeing my daughter.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
