vision
Americannoun
-
visions
plural
-
the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
-
the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.
prophetic vision;
the vision of an entrepreneur.
- Synonyms:
- discernment, perception
-
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.
-
something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience.
The vision revealed its message.
- Synonyms:
- chimera, phantasm, apparition
-
a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.
visions of wealth and glory.
-
something seen; an object of sight.
-
a scene, person, etc., of extraordinary beauty.
The sky was a vision of red and pink.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the act, faculty, or manner of perceiving with the eye; sight
-
-
the image on a television screen
-
( as modifier )
vision control
-
-
the ability or an instance of great perception, esp of future developments
a man of vision
-
a mystical or religious experience of seeing some supernatural event, person, etc
the vision of St John of the Cross
-
that which is seen, esp in such a mystical experience
-
(sometimes plural) a vivid mental image produced by the imagination
he had visions of becoming famous
-
a person or thing of extraordinary beauty
-
the stated aims and objectives of a business or other organization
verb
Synonym Usage
See dream.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing vision
Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy
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"We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" by Emily Dickinson
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Physics - Introductory
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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:
China’s universities turned out students specializing in computer vision, a branch of computer science that tries to teach machines to see as humans do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"The star for me means that my vision of the world as a small village is a reality," she said as it was unveiled on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
And while his father left for Arizona State to become a defensive analyst, Martin, alongside Jackson and Pleasant, ultimately decided to stay after meeting Chesney and hearing his vision.
From Los Angeles Times ● 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
The edges of his vision were a little blurry even now, but this was a normal feeling.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"I had visions of him pushing me into the room and closing the door behind me."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Once the viewer understands where Refn is headed, they can submit themselves to his grotesque neon visions.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Howe has high hopes for “The Body,” about badly behaved Catholic school girls who have prophetic visions after a dance team initiation goes awry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Competing visions of liberty sometimes clash in ways that cannot be easily resolved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Yet there I was, having visions of crashing to the mat in front of the entire world.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
