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

“This union of artistry and vision transformed the property into a singular masterpiece, embodying the glamour and creative force of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” the description added.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

The New Zealand landscape does echo the rolling hills of Central California, in a dry season, but it’s a dreary vision, hardly the paradise of Steinbeck’s memory, book or metaphor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The government has said its vision, external is to "guarantee two weeks' worth of work experience for every young person" in England.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Austria-Hungary and Germany had no grand imperial vision for Central Europe beyond shaping the nationalist forces at work there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Without warning, the sound had brought startling vision to his mind.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

The two longtime lawyers have staked their fight on starkly different visions of the job.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

With Luis dead, she wallows in visions of him, one of which is the man-sized bird.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

“Very similarly to how the music industry runs on the enthusiasm of fans and their attention, politicians actually have to compete and energize voters around their visions and their policies,” she added.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

Most of all, the movie’s distinction is in its stomach-churning smorgasbord of wild nightmare visions produced by the animatronics and makeup departments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

By 1975, deeper cognitive problems had emerged: he had visions, phantasms, and voices in his head that told him what to do.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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