cognition

American  

[kog-nish-uhn] / kɒgˈnɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act or process of knowing; perception.

2. the product of such a process; something thus known, perceived, etc.

3. knowledge.

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cognition British  

/ kɒɡˈnɪʃən /

noun

1. the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired, including perception, intuition, and reasoning

2. the knowledge that results from such an act or process

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cognition Scientific  

/ kŏg-nĭsh′ən /

1. The mental process of knowing, including awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.

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Other Word Forms

• cognitional
  adjective
• noncognition
  noun
• self-cognition
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cognition

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English cognicioun, from Latin cognitiōn-, stem of cognitiō “knowledge, a learning,” equivalent to cognit(us) “learned, known” (past participle of cognōscere “to learn, become acquainted,” from co- co- + gnōscere, nōscere “to learn”; see know ¹) + -iō -ion

Explanation

Cognition is the act of thinking, perceiving, and understanding. It's cognition that makes it possible for you to learn a foreign language. The word cognition is most often used in scholarly or formal writing about learning and thinking, though you can also use it to describe what happens when you use your brain power to complete a crossword puzzle or remember math equations for a test. Cognition comes from the Latin cognitio, meaning "a getting to know, knowledge" combining com-, "together," and gnoscere, "to know."

Example Sentences

These levels could "impact cognition to a greater extent than what we previously thought, and may affect a much larger proportion of the population than we realize."

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

But CCRCs offer an alternative, since you can move in when you’re still active and remain living there as you get older and come to need living assistance or develop problems with mobility or cognition.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

But something interesting showed up in the data as well: Despite the fact that sleep didn’t objectively improve, parents in the sleep-training arm reported less depression, less fatigue, better sleep, and better cognition.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

Mr. Berg is founder and director of Reciprocal Research, a nonprofit research organization studying AI cognition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

But it’s also what we find most problematic about rapid cognition.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell