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.
-
to view; visit or attend as a spectator.
to see a play.
-
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
-
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.
-
to read or read about.
I saw it in the newspaper.
verb (used without object)
-
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.
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.
-
see about
-
to investigate; inquire about.
-
to turn one's attention to; take care of.
He said he would see about getting the license plates.
-
-
see through
-
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.
-
noun
-
sees
plural
verb
-
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
-
(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
-
(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
-
(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
-
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
-
seessimple
-
have seenperfect
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has seenperfect
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am seeingprogressive
-
are seeingprogressive
-
is seeingprogressive
-
have been seeingperfect progressive
-
has been seeingperfect progressive
Past
-
sawsimple
-
had seenperfect
-
was seeingprogressive
-
were seeingprogressive
-
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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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:
"People have become fed up of the Covid way of living and they want to see their pub open," said Mark.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Startups are hoping to fill the gap, and insurance companies more broadly see AI down the road as a new opportunity for offering specialty products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Yes, he does enjoy coming back every now and then - to see if everything's in order," Sepp Ankner, their chief finance officer, told The Athletic, external in 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
All we’re here to do is have fun — and we see what that mentality leads to, right?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Gertie doesn’t have to look far to see that.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
With the world full of different real-life monsters, Childs sees longevity in the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
That’s according to newsletter editor Steven Jon Kaplan, who is alarmed by what he sees as investors piling into stocks without much thought.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
De Barbeyrac sees it as "a game about passing something on", one that older players will want to share with their children, blending nostalgia for one generation with discovery for another.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ultimately, he sees Integro as a product that could support gradual market-share stabilization or gains for Sonova, rather than rapid losses for Cochlear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Fern!” she calls when she sees me, waving her arms.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
"What AI mostly brings is persistence," Church told AFP, saying he felt "an unbelievable sense of satisfaction and excitement when I saw the result".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Until that changes, he saw little use in remedies like the one announced this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Much of the crowd that came out to see them was young and diverse - the vast majority of people I saw were under 30.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
These were regular people who saw what was going on in the world and decided that they needed to do something about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Their traveling companion could not believe what he had just seen and heard...until he saw what came next.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
In an interview with AFP last month, Banga said the private capital should be seen as augmenting, not replacing, development financing and that it is needed to address the developing world's vast financial needs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Under Leiters’s predecessor Oliver Blume, who is rarely seen in a tie, Porsche had enjoyed years of almost continual growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"I cannot remember the last time Leeds were seen as favourites going into this fixture but I don't fancy Manchester United's chances at all," said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“We’ve seen serious criminal charges dropped and entire cases jeopardized because victims and witnesses are too scared to come to the courthouse to testify,” Bonta said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
These connections are so fine that they cannot be seen through a conventional light microscope.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
"And that means there's no free riders. We're seeing common things, and we're taking action, and I view that as a positive development."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The split is born out of teams seeing a distinct advantage to both sides of the coin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
“Halloween is a chance to allow ourselves to experience the love of seeing people get silly, seeing people tap into a different part of their imaginations and give themselves permission,” Monáe says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We are seeing over and over again that the timing of behaviors, whether it's sleep, eating, or exercise, really matters," said McHill.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
After not seeing or hearing from him since Dad’s fake heart attack, he called last night to let me know.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
