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

In February, Khan's lawyer said his client had 15% vision left in his right eye after prison authorities failed to take action - an allegation the government disputed.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The former prime minister received eye treatment at a hospital this year, with his family and lawyer saying at the time that he had lost most of the vision in his right eye.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

When a friend and I first floated the idea of a Euro summer vacation, I could see the Instagram-perfect vision in my mind.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

And, of course, as we age, our balance becomes compromised — we’re less able to compensate for vestibular system weaknesses as our vision declines and our sense of touch deteriorates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

She makes her way into my line of vision and signs with wide eyes, “What are you doing?”

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Once the viewer understands where Refn is headed, they can submit themselves to his grotesque neon visions.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

The two have similar origin stories as the sons of working-class immigrants — both even worked construction jobs to earn money as teenagers — but they have vastly different visions for California’s future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Nolan’s non-CGI visions of the Trojan Horse, the Cyclops, the sacking of Troy, the transformation of men into pigs do not require an “ultimate” aspect ratio to be remarkable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Competing visions of liberty sometimes clash in ways that cannot be easily resolved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Her sister had visions of her future headstone, and her mother was known to fall into a dreamlike state and predict neighbors’ funerals weeks before their deaths took place.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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