see into
Britishverb
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to examine or investigate
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to discover the true nature of
I can't see into your thoughts
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Investigate; see look into .
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Understand the true character or nature of, as in Mother could see into Mary very well and knew exactly what she was up to . Shakespeare used this idiom in 2 Henry VI (3:1): “Well hath your Highness seen into this duke.”
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.
Two of that breed, Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria, can’t see into the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
“Here you can see into every room, every window looks onto the lawn,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
When we trust systems we can’t see into, we lose the capacity to recognize—let alone resist—how they’ve been built to shape our behavior.
From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2026
Wiseman later called back down to mission control in Houston to ask how to clean the windows, as the astronauts' enthusiasm to see into space had left them dirty.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
With the light, Nathan was able to see into the mouth of the cave.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
