see
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
saw,
past
-
seen,
past participle
-
seeing
present participle
-
to perceive with the eyes; look at.
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to view; visit or attend as a spectator.
to see a play.
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to perceive by means of computer vision.
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to scan or view, especially by electronic means.
The satellite can see the entire southern half of the country.
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to perceive (things) mentally; discern; understand.
to see the point of an argument.
- Synonyms:
- comprehend, penetrate
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to construct a mental image of; visualize.
He still saw his father as he was 25 years ago.
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to accept or imagine or suppose as acceptable.
I can't see him as president.
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to be cognizant of; recognize.
to see the good in others;
to see where the mistake is.
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to foresee.
He could see war ahead.
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to ascertain, learn, or find out.
See who is at the door.
- Synonyms:
- determine
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to have knowledge or experience of.
to see service in the foreign corps.
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to make sure.
See that the work is done.
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to meet and converse with.
Are you seeing her at lunch today?
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to receive as a visitor.
The ambassador finally saw him.
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to visit.
He's gone to see his aunt.
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to court, keep company with, or date frequently.
They've been seeing each other for a long time.
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to provide aid or assistance to; take care of.
He's seeing his brother through college.
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to attend or escort.
to see someone home.
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Cards. to match (a bet) or match the bet of (a bettor) by staking an equal sum; call.
I'll see your five and raise you five more.
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to prefer (someone or something) to be as indicated (usually used as a mild oath).
I'll see you in hell before I sell you this house. He'll see the business fail before he admits he's wrong.
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to read or read about.
I saw it in the newspaper.
verb (used without object)
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sees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
saw,
past
-
seen,
past participle
-
seeing
present participle
-
to have the power of sight.
-
to be capable of perceiving by means of computer vision.
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to understand intellectually or spiritually; have insight.
Philosophy teaches us to see.
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to give attention or care.
See, there it goes.
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to find out; make inquiry.
Go and see for yourself.
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to consider; think; deliberate.
Let me see, how does that song go?
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to look about; observe.
They heard the noise and came out to see.
verb phrase
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see off to take leave of someone setting out on a journey; accompany to the place of departure.
I went to the airport to see them off.
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see after to attend to; take care of.
Will you please see after my plants while I'm away?
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see to to take care of; be responsible for.
I'll see to the theater tickets.
-
see out to remain with (a task, project, etc.) until its completion.
We decided to see it out, even if it meant another year.
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see about
-
to investigate; inquire about.
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to turn one's attention to; take care of.
He said he would see about getting the license plates.
-
-
see through
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to penetrate to the true nature of; comprehend; detect.
He quickly saw through my story.
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to stay with to the end or until completion; persevere.
to see a difficult situation through.
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noun
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sees
plural
verb
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to perceive with the eyes
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to perceive (an idea) mentally; understand
I explained the problem but he could not see it
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(tr) to perceive with any or all of the senses
I hate to see you so unhappy
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to be aware of in advance; foresee
I can see what will happen if you don't help
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to ascertain or find out (a fact); learn
see who is at the door
-
to make sure (of something) or take care (of something)
see that he gets to bed early
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to consider, deliberate, or decide
see if you can come next week
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(tr) to have experience of; undergo
he had seen much unhappiness in his life
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(tr) to allow to be in a specified condition
I cannot stand by and see a child in pain
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(tr) to be characterized by
this period of history has seen much unrest
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(tr) to meet or pay a visit to
to see one's solicitor
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(tr) to receive, esp as a guest or visitor
the Prime Minister will see the deputation now
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(tr) to frequent the company of
she is seeing a married man
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(tr) to accompany or escort
I saw her to the door
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(tr) to refer to or look up
for further information see the appendix
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(in gambling, esp in poker) to match (another player's bet) or match the bet of (another player) by staking an equal sum
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to the best of my judgment or understanding
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(takes an infinitive) to consider proper, desirable, etc
I don't see fit to allow her to come here
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informal to refuse absolutely to do what one has been asked
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informal to ensure fair treatment of (someone)
if he has cheated you, I'll see you right
-
See light 1
-
an expression of farewell
-
informal a parenthetical filler phrase used to make a pause in speaking or add slight emphasis
noun
Synonym Usage
See watch.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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seesimple
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seessimple
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have seenperfect
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has seenperfect
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am seeingprogressive
-
are seeingprogressive
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is seeingprogressive
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have been seeingperfect progressive
-
has been seeingperfect progressive
Past
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sawsimple
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had seenperfect
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was seeingprogressive
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were seeingprogressive
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had been seeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of see1
First recorded before 900; Middle English sen, seen, se, Old English sēon, sēan, sían; cognate with Dutch zien, German sehen, Old Norse sjā, Gothic saihwan
Origin of see2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English se(e), sce, sse, from Old French sie,se, sce, from Latin sēdes “seat”
Explanation
See is what your eyes do. However, this word has loads of meanings: you can see a shrink, which means you're consulting a psychiatrist; or you can be seeing your high school sweetheart, which means you're dating him. See usually means passively observing, while look, which is also something you do with your eyes, is more active and intentional. When someone says, "The president will see you now," the president is sitting there passively, waiting for you to be shown in. You can say "I see," to mean "I understand; I get it." Or you can look into your crystal ball and see into the future, in which case you'd be called a seer.
Vocabulary lists containing see
3-letter words, List 2
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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:
Commanders coach Dan Quinn told reporters that Daniels underwent imaging that morning and would see specialists the following two days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Townsend, who won 13 caps for England, said that he did think it was strange to see two rollers either side of the pitch during the warm-up.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Nathaniel Moore went to Las Vegas to see why some lost boys are still pinning their hopes on Bitcoin.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
On AI as on so much else, Washington and Beijing see similar problems through different lenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
“Yes. One hundred and sixty acres. You can’t see it all from here.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Now Mr. Rubio says the U.S. sees her return to her country as her right.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
A Starbucks spokesperson told MarketWatch the company increasingly sees its ancillary offerings — like cups and other gear — as collectibles.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
The champion’s confidence remains undiminished, as he sees the rematch as an opportunity to put any debate surrounding that first fight in 2025 to rest and prove his place in the division.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
But not everyone sees the future of smart glasses as rose-tinted.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
When she sees me watching, her expression turns.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
The series finale saw Mary Bennet, played by Ella Bruccoleri, agree to marry Tom Hayward, played by Donal Finn.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Monday’s market action was “a collective statement of the resilience that we saw following last week,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide Investment Group.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The demonstrations come the day after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saw his Christian Democratic Union party suffer election defeat in the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
This six-fumble fiasco saw the Chargers end drives in this frustrating staccato: missed field goal, punt, interception, punt, touchdown, punt, end of half, touchdown, punt, punt, fumble, interception, safety.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
He wanted to build a fishpond, like the one he saw on YouTube.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
It was my third time seeing the play, and I've seen people film during that break every time.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Tennessee was seen as the likely potential destination for Paramount.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
The same expression was no doubt used by countless Commanders fans who had seen their quarterback miss much of the 2025 season with the same injury to the same elbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
AMD shares have seen an extreme rally: The company was worth $255 billion at this point last year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
A single child stood out from the rest—the red-shoed girl they’d seen walking with her mother on the road between forests yesterday.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
“We’re seeing a lot of ‘time’s up’ situations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
"We are now seeing people coming from the rest of the UK and Northern Ireland to Glasgow because the legislation is more sympathetic to people here and it treats them better," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
I like her well enough, but I don’t look forward to seeing her the way I do my closest friends.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
He came in, two years in, passed Measure M, had a vision for how to transform L.A., and we’re seeing the fruits of that today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
I began to give up all hope of seeing him again.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
