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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

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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.

This concern doesn’t always resonate with voters who perceive an immediate benefit in a higher hourly rate for low-income workers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

"But to be polarising is to be talked about and to be cared about, and I think I'd always rather that than be constantly treading on eggshells and trying to dictate how people perceive you."

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Modern gadgets are damaging our ability to daydream, socialize and perceive the physical world.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

In the 1920s, Schrödinger built on that idea by defining hue, saturation, and lightness within a Riemannian model of color perception, using a metric that describes how people perceive color differences.

From Science Daily • Jun. 7, 2026

He felt himself surrounded by dense, overwhelming fogs of possibilities in which he could perceive no glimmer of light.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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