perception
Americannoun
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perceptions
plural
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the act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
- Synonyms:
- recognition, sense, awareness
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immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment.
an artist of rare perception.
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the result or product of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving; percept.
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Psychology. a single unified awareness derived from sensory processes while a stimulus is present.
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Law. the taking into possession of rents, crops, profits, etc.
noun
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the act or the effect of perceiving
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insight or intuition gained by perceiving
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the ability or capacity to perceive
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way of perceiving; awareness or consciousness; view
advertising affects the customer's perception of a product
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the process by which an organism detects and interprets information from the external world by means of the sensory receptors
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law the collection, receipt, or taking into possession of rents, crops, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonperceptionnoun
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reperceptionnoun
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self-perceptionnoun
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nonperceptionaladjective
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perceptionaladjective
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unperceptionaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of perception
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English percepcioun, from Old French percepcïon, from Latin perceptiōn-, stem of perceptiō “comprehension,” literally, “a taking in”; see percept, -ion
Explanation
Each generation has a different perception — view, idea or understanding — of what is cool. You wouldn't want to walk around in the paisley patterns of the 1960s or the big hair of the 1980s today! Based on the Latin root cipere, "to grasp," perception refers to the way you take in the world through your senses. Have you ever thought a stair was bigger than it really was so your step was too heavy? Your depth perception was off. The noun also means the opinions and beliefs you've formed about something. Your perception of your room after you've cleaned it is different than your parents' — you see clean and they probably don't.
Vocabulary lists containing perception
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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"Animal Wisdom" and "The Last Wolf," Vocabulary from the poems
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Content Summary G.2: Regionalization
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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 runway slope and width create what’s known as a crowned runway illusion that distorts a pilot’s perception of height and distance during their final approach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
A moment of heightened perception comes halfway through the book when David becomes incontinent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Gordon says that since his move to Spain he has changed people's perception of him being a player who is only quick and presses well, even if they are two of his best attributes.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
That is a big statement, and rooted more in perception than reality.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Predictive Dreams Another presumed kind of extrasensory perception is the predictive dream.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Griffin said part of the point of his donation was to counter those perceptions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Don’t make their perceptions your problem, and try not to judge them too harshly.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
"Clearly the perceptions I had before being asked to do the job were completely different to what I feel now," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Foreign Minister Robert Dussey of Togo, which sponsored the resolution, said maps "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
New instruments meant new perceptions, and with them came new knowledge.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
