vision

American  

[vizh-uhn] / ˈvɪʒ ən /

noun

visions plural

1. the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.

2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.

   prophetic vision;

   the vision of an entrepreneur.

   Synonyms:

   discernment, perception

3. an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency.

   a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision.

4. something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience.

   The vision revealed its message.

   Synonyms:

   chimera, phantasm, apparition

5. a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.

   visions of wealth and glory.

6. something seen; an object of sight.

7. a scene, person, etc., of extraordinary beauty.

   The sky was a vision of red and pink.

8. computer vision.

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verb (used with object)

1. to envision, or picture mentally.

   She tried to vision herself in a past century.

vision British  

/ ˈvɪʒən /

noun

1. the act, faculty, or manner of perceiving with the eye; sight

2. 1. the image on a television screen

   2. ( as modifier )

      vision control

3. the ability or an instance of great perception, esp of future developments

   a man of vision

4. a mystical or religious experience of seeing some supernatural event, person, etc

   the vision of St John of the Cross

5. that which is seen, esp in such a mystical experience

6. (sometimes plural) a vivid mental image produced by the imagination

   he had visions of becoming famous

7. a person or thing of extraordinary beauty

8. the stated aims and objectives of a business or other organization

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verb

1. (tr) to see or show in or as if in a vision

Synonym Usage

See dream.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• visionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• visions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vision

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin vīsiōn-, stem of vīsiō “sight,” literally “a seeing,” equivalent to vīs(us) “seen,” past participle of vidēre “to see” + -iō -ion

Explanation

If you are getting your eyes checked, a doctor is checking on your vision — or your ability to see. But if you have visions of unicorns romping over rainbows, that's a whole other issue that the eye doctor can't address. The noun vision describes how well you can see, but it can also refer to things you may see, but that aren't physically there. Sometimes people claim to have religious visions of God, angels, the Virgin Mary, and so on. The word can also be used to describe something that is lovely: "The bride was a vision in white."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vision visions

"His leadership, vision and commitment to the welfare of the Qatari people were widely admired, both within Qatar and around the world," they added.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Trained in computer vision, a critical part of autonomous and intelligent driving systems, Peil could once have expected to sail into a role at one of Germany's industrial giants.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

But it also suggests that viewers are mature enough to absorb the tougher truths omitted from Wilder’s original vision, as well as the roles of others who were minimized, like Sims’ good doctor.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Cargill has a proprietary AI-powered computer vision system called CarVe that it started rolling out in its beef plants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

She doesn’t respond, so I jog to catch up with her line of vision and repeat my statements.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Now you are blinking at the screen, as unread emails or your boss's requests morph into visions of Jude Bellingham's flying header.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

The timing of the march — occurring alongside official Independence Day and America250 celebrations — placed it within a broader national moment already marked by competing visions of American identity, patriotism, and public space.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

And yet they emerge with constitutional visions that could scarcely be further apart.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

Rather, what was on display this past week was the difference in tactics for achieving what are really similar visions for the sci-fi future.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

“Alter, you say that he’s shared visions with you. Correct?”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• aspect
• conception
• dream
• fantasy
• foresight
• idea
• ideal
• imagination
• insight
• outlook
• perspective
• point of view
• understanding
• view