see
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
to read or read about.
I saw it in the newspaper.
verb (used without object)
-
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?
-
see to to take care of; be responsible for.
I'll see to the theater tickets.
-
see out to remain with (a task, project, etc.) until its completion.
We decided to see it out, even if it meant another year.
-
see about
-
to investigate; inquire about.
-
to turn one's attention to; take care of.
He said he would see about getting the license plates.
-
-
see through
-
to penetrate to the true nature of; comprehend; detect.
He quickly saw through my story.
-
to stay with to the end or until completion; persevere.
to see a difficult situation through.
-
noun
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sees
plural
verb
-
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
-
(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
-
informal to ensure fair treatment of (someone)
if he has cheated you, I'll see you right
-
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
-
seessimple
-
have seenperfect
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has seenperfect
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am seeingprogressive
-
are seeingprogressive
-
is seeingprogressive
-
have been seeingperfect progressive
-
has been seeingperfect progressive
Past
-
sawsimple
-
had seenperfect
-
was seeingprogressive
-
were seeingprogressive
-
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 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:
"You can see why Martin O'Neill made the substitution at half-time and there's no doubt Celtic looked much better going forward."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“You can totally see everything,” Holmes texts Mr. Fielder in the film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It’s been amazing to see the reception of that song, and again just having a laugh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Microsoft is ”too big not to” see some pressure from a broader AI selloff, but to Materne it’s still “a stock for all seasons, well-positioned to benefit from enterprise AI adoption over the coming years.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Now his audience can see the hole in the top of his mouth through which the rod passed.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The world might look and think it sees some nice, dismissible senior citizen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
With the world full of different real-life monsters, Childs sees longevity in the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
That’s according to newsletter editor Steven Jon Kaplan, who is alarmed by what he sees as investors piling into stocks without much thought.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
De Barbeyrac sees it as "a game about passing something on", one that older players will want to share with their children, blending nostalgia for one generation with discovery for another.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
I’m embarrassed for Mom—for both of us—that this is how he sees her.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Both states saw prices at the pump rise faster than the national average, but because typical households there consume less gas than the rest of the country they haven’t felt the impact as much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
These were regular people who saw what was going on in the world and decided that they needed to do something about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The incident saw a junior school and surrounding houses in the village engulfed in coal slurry after a colliery spoil tip collapsed on 21 October 1966.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
It is fair to say not everyone saw Oct. 7’s events in New York the same way.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
He entered and was surprised when he saw the kitchen.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Tatiana hadn’t seen him in a year and a half, and was moved by the change in his appearance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
After practice, the guard was seen with kinesiology tape snaking up his right calf while working on the court with assistant coaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Investors have already seen signs of a rotation away from AI highflyers and into hard-hit healthcare stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
In the video, the 23-year-old is seen getting frustrated and upset about his performance.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
I hadn’t seen him since before he went to college downstate.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Mike Smith, president emeritus of The Brokerage, a company that works with insurance agents selling Medicare plans, said he is seeing some medications moved between tiers, raising the cost for people who take them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
“The continued progress we are seeing is a testament to the hard work of students, families, and educators across the state.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We are seeing over and over again that the timing of behaviors, whether it's sleep, eating, or exercise, really matters," said McHill.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
An investor employing cold logic like a Vulcan in “Star Trek” would be befuddled by what he is currently seeing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
I kept seeing her eyes flashing with cold fury, her face pinched and hard, her words: I wish we’d never been sent here together.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
