see
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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sees,
present (3rd person singular)
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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.
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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
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See light 1
-
an expression of farewell
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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:
Fans will expect to see striker Robbie Ure after a free-scoring spell with Sirius in Sweden resulted in a move to La Liga side Sevilla earlier this month.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
On the economic front, we’ll see Fed minutes, housing-market data, and readings on manufacturing and services activity.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Whether it’s going to see an orchestra show … museums or galleries, we really want to find ways to connect with those institutions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Green Lanterns don’t neatly fit into the Chosen One mold, you see.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
When I look into my dad’s eyes, I see my dreams reflected.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
It’s the second-fastest movie to reach that milestone, according to Rentrak’s Paul Dergarabedian, who sees a $10 billion year at the box office within reach.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Rees sees a data center as a catalyst, one that could produce jobs that folks in Maysville can’t envision yet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Seemiller, a professor and one of the leading researchers of Gen Z, sees the pattern as generationally predictable.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
"These small windows that the world sees, the little openings here and there including secret schools for girls, are just meant to fool everybody," she laments with visible sadness.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I’m gonna need you to have a little more shame,” Arlo says when he enters the kitchen and sees me.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
"But on that day, we saw a man half his body weight and desperate beyond belief."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Here is a tour of what we saw:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“His world shrunk. We’re used to 50,000 people and you saw, what, one or two a day?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
That old saw about being careful what you wish for comes to mind.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
They’re the last people who saw her, and if the food truck has a teleportation mode, we can always visit the movie place afterward.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
At least two of the suspects in the sheriff’s photos can be seen holding up their phones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
It remains to be seen whether his status will rise under Pocognoli, or if fellow teenage midfielder Lennon Miller will be brought back into the fold.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
James has been making content for almost six years, and he said he’s seen influencers come and go after market upturns and downturns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
However, researchers had never seen one take place on a scale like this.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
I’ve never seen anyone with eyes quite that color.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Now that the cattle are gone, she’s seeing all kinds of native plants, such as coastal strawberries, Yerba Buena Blue-eyed grass and the Douglas iris with their stunning lavender petals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"The greasy pole is always something that sparked intrigue and you'd go and watch it. I don't ever remember seeing a female team though."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
He travelled with his children but upon seeing the chaos at the border, he took them home before returning again to swim across on his own.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“We’re seeing more demand for this kind of topic because it’s critically important if you think about launching a new product,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
My brain is too fuzzy for me to fully make sense of what I’m seeing.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
