Synonyms

perceive

American

[per-seev] / pərˈsiv /

verb (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.

perceive British

/ pəˈsiːv /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See notice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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”

Explanation

When we perceive something, we become aware of or notice it. Sometimes we perceive things by using our senses of sight, hearing, and smell. Or we can use our mind to perceive things, which means that we are able to recognize or understand them. We can also perceive a person or thing as having certain qualities: Do you perceive yourself as a good student? The Latin root percipere means "to receive, understand," from the prefix per- "thoroughly" plus capere "to seize, take."

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Vocabulary lists containing perceive

List 1

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Metamorphosis

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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 9

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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.

They describe their work, Perceive Me, as a social experiment in prejudice, where users are asked to confront perceptions of people through online content.

From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2015

Not far remote, as thou shalt soon thyself 50 Perceive, oh venerable Chief! he stands, Who hath convened this council.

From The Odyssey of Homer by Cowper, William

Perceive at last that thou hast in thee something better and more divine than the things which cause the various affects, and as it were pull thee by the strings.

From Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Long, George

Young men and maids, and girls and boys Give life to one another's joys; And you anon shall by their noise Perceive that they are merry.

From Pastoral Poems by Nicholas Breton, Selected Poetry by George Wither, and Pastoral Poetry by William Browne (of Tavistock) by Tutin, J. R.

Perceive we not how they, whose tenderness shrinketh at the least rase of a needle's point, do kiss the sword that pierceth their souls quite thorow?

From The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Coleridge, Henry Nelson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023