perceive
Americanverb (used with object)
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perceives,
present (3rd person singular)
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perceived,
past participle, past
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perceiving
present participle
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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
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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.
verb
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to become aware of (something) through the senses, esp the sight; recognize or observe
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to come to comprehend; grasp
Synonym Usage
See notice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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perceivabilitynoun
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perceivernoun
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perceivingnessnoun
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reperceiveverb (used with object)
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nonperceivingadjective
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perceivableadjective
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self-perceivingadjective
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unperceivingadjective
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perceivablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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perceivesimple
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perceivessimple
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have perceivedperfect
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has perceivedperfect
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am perceivingprogressive
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are perceivingprogressive
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is perceivingprogressive
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have been perceivingperfect progressive
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has been perceivingperfect progressive
Past
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perceivedsimple
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had perceivedperfect
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was perceivingprogressive
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were perceivingprogressive
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had been perceivingperfect progressive
Future
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."
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.
See Examples For:
Through the Unruh effect, an accelerating observer would perceive empty space as a thermal environment.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Sometimes what we perceive as micromanagement is just workplace culture.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
And truthfully, there’s dignity in that curiosity, in wanting to know if greatness is all there is, or if there is something more that exists beyond what we can perceive.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Gomez meanwhile said that while Maradona was seen as a revolutionary who confronted FIFA's power, current narratives perceive Messi as FIFA's "golden boy."
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
But as it is I perceive behind them only the suffering of the creature, the awful melancholy of life and the pitilessness of men.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
He perceives growing demand for small language models, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Tinnitus, often described as ringing in the ears, occurs when someone perceives a sound inside the ear or head even though no external source is producing it.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The judge said Winehouse was "understandably sensitive about anyone who he perceives as exploiting Amy's memory... but also, in my judgement, he is equally sensitive about ensuring that the family continue to benefit financially."
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
Now, though, he perceives bitcoin is “potentially on the verge of breaking out of this range to the upside and breaking the bear trend.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
And at night, waking out of a dream, overwhelmed and bewitched by the crowding apparitions, a man perceives with alarm how slight is the support, how thin the boundary that divides him from the darkness.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Cuts could be perceived as an admission that the goods were never worth what the brand was charging in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He expressed frustration with a perceived lag in the arrival of aid while the nation celebrated Independence Day with pomp and ceremony in the capital Jakarta.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
They are perceived as contributing more to workplace culture than the company’s bottom line.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
By combining the questionnaire responses with the sensor data, the researchers were able to follow changes in loneliness, trust, conflict, social relationships, team cohesion, and perceived performance throughout the mission.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Loud was part of her, grating against a wrongness she perceived but couldn’t identify, something in her family that had no name or face but demanded to make a sound through her.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
No damning life event preceded my change in style, though I’d recently stopped dating and found some strange joy in perceiving bangs as another barrier-to-entry to anyone who tried.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
In under half a minute, the state’s theory asserts, Byrd and Roberts went from perceiving a genuine threat and returning fire to pursuing someone who no longer posed a danger.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The consultation is looking into how this would be determined, and is considering factors such as people living together, sharing finances and others perceiving them as a couple.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
While conditions are subject to change any time, the market is currently perceiving that flows through the Strait of Hormuz will continue for an extended period, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Single- handedly he turned it from genteel, ignorable after-dinner entertainment into an all-encompassing emotional experience, a way of perceiving life as a mighty struggle, the cry of the soul, the voice of conscience.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
