notice
Americannoun
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notices
plural
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an announcement or intimation of something impending; warning.
a day's notice.
-
a note, placard, or the like conveying information or a warning.
to post a notice about the fire laws.
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information or warning of something, especially for wide attention.
to give notice of one's departure.
- Synonyms:
- announcement, notification, news, advice
-
a notification of the termination, at a specified time, of an agreement, as for renting or employment, given by one of the parties to the agreement.
The sales manager suddenly gave notice and headed for Acapulco.
-
observation, perception, attention, or heed.
a book worthy of notice.
- Synonyms:
- cognizance, note
-
interested or favorable attention.
to take notice of an unusual feature in the design of a building.
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critical attention, appraisal, or evaluation.
Only a few of the entries were singled out for notice.
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a brief written review or critique, as of a newly published book; review.
The notices of the play were mostly favorable.
verb (used with object)
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notices,
present (3rd person singular)
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noticed,
past participle, past
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noticing
present participle
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to pay attention to or take notice of.
Did you notice her hat?
-
to perceive; become aware of.
Did you notice the anger in his voice?
- Synonyms:
- remark, mark, note, understand, recognize, discriminate, distinguish, descry
-
to acknowledge acquaintance with.
She noticed him merely with a nod.
-
to mention or refer to; point out.
a circumstance that was noticed in an earlier chapter.
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to give notice to; serve with a notice.
to notice a person that his taxes are overdue.
noun
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the act of perceiving; observation; attention
to escape notice
-
to pay attention; attend
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to ignore or disregard
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information about a future event; warning; announcement
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a displayed placard or announcement giving information
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advance notification of intention to end an arrangement, contract, etc, as of renting or employment (esp in the phrase give notice )
-
with notification only a little in advance
-
with notification only two hours in advance
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dismissal from employment
-
favourable, interested, or polite attention
she was beneath his notice
-
a theatrical or literary review
the play received very good notices
verb
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to become conscious or aware of; perceive; note
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to point out or remark upon
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to pay polite or interested attention to
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to recognize or acknowledge (an acquaintance)
Synonym Usage
Notice, discern, perceive imply becoming aware of, and paying attention to, something. To notice is to become aware of something that has caught one's attention: to notice a newspaper headline; to notice a road sign. Discern suggests distinguishing (sometimes with difficulty) and recognizing a thing for what it is, discriminating it from its surroundings: In spite of the fog, we finally discerned the outline of the harbor. Perceive, often used as a formal substitute for see or notice, may convey also the idea of understanding meanings and implications: After examining the evidence he perceived its significance.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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noticesimple
-
noticessimple
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have noticedperfect
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has noticedperfect
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am noticingprogressive
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are noticingprogressive
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is noticingprogressive
-
have been noticingperfect progressive
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has been noticingperfect progressive
Past
-
noticedsimple
-
had noticedperfect
-
was noticingprogressive
-
were noticingprogressive
-
had been noticingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of notice
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin nōtitia “a knowing, a being known,” derivative of nōtus known ( see notify)
Explanation
The word notice has to do with paying attention to something. For example, you usually notice a flashing light, and an overdue bill might come with the word "NOTICE" written on it to make sure you see it. The Latin nōtitia, a noun meaning "something known," was the ancestor of notice. Use the verb to mean “to see or point out" and the noun to mean "formal warning." When you give “advance notice,” you let someone know early or ahead of time. In case you haven't noticed, the notice posted on your door says you've been promoted and should move to the corner office. No doubt because of your attention to detail.
Vocabulary lists containing notice
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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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 USDA’s notice of intent to repeal the rule, announced last August, brought in more than 600,000 public comments, the vast majority of which were opposed to the plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
“UAVs not ‘specially designed’ for a military use with an endurance of three hours or greater will continue to be controlled,” the notice said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Philip Simon was due to perform his stand-up show at the Banshee Labyrinth on Niddry Street, but the venue scrapped it at short notice after it carried out "routine" checks on his social media.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Today you could send me out onto the course with a bag containing a pogo stick, a copperhead and a mackerel, and I wouldn’t notice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
She thinks I don’t notice, but I see her wiping her eyes.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“We do our job the best if nobody notices we’ve done anything,” Higgs said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Basildon Borough Council issued planning enforcement notices but was challenged at a public inquiry.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
When laboratory mice experience brain damage, e.g., from an injection, Jan Deussing repeatedly notices the same response.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
In the western city of Herat, notices posted on the walls of a university and its dorm warned that anyone caught with a smartphone on campus would face "legal action".
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
He thinks no one notices, but I do.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
"I have noticed it loves fried rice a lot! The way he eats up my fried rice leftovers - very voracious," laughs Promise.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
During my time around Comporta, I noticed a pattern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He noticed unusual electrical signals appearing at the sharpest graphene wrinkles and shared the results with Meunier, who had co-advised his doctoral work.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
"This bas-relief was already known, but no one had ever noticed the identical details to those found in Homer's cave. This is the first time such a detailed geographical description came to light," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Torak noticed that he made it sound as if he, not Oslak had caught ‘the thief’.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
That has shifted in recent years, however, with doctors noticing the summer spikes were starting to get larger than their winter counterparts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
A nationwide movement opposing the continued construction of data centers offers some hope, with both Republicans and Democrats noticing the popular sentiment is largely anti-AI.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
And you’re less concerned with colleagues discussing what you wear than no one noticing at all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Tech companies are noticing, and they’re increasingly making cybersecurity a core feature of their platforms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
She was noticing that the tsar took away a lot of things in the interest of safety.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
