visit

[viz-it]

verb (used with object)

1. to go to and stay with (a person or family) or at (a place) for a short time for reasons of sociability, politeness, business, curiosity, etc..

   to visit a friend; to visit clients; to visit Paris.

2. to stay with as a guest.

3. to come or go to.

   to visit a church for prayer.

4. to go to for the purpose of official inspection or examination.

   a general visiting his troops.

5. to come to in order to comfort or aid.

   to visit the sick.

6. to come upon; assail; afflict.

   The plague visited London in 1665.

7. to cause trouble, suffering, etc., to come to.

   to visit him with sorrows.

8. to access, as a website.

9. to inflict, as punishment, vengeance, etc. (often followed by on orupon ).

verb (used without object)

1. to make a visit.

2. to talk or chat casually.

   to visit on the phone with a friend.

3. to inflict punishment.

noun

1. the act of or an instance of visiting.

   a nice, long visit.

2. a chat or talk.

   We had a good visit on the way back from the grocery store.

3. a call paid to a person, family, etc.

4. a stay or sojourn as a guest.

5. an official inspection or examination.

6. the act of an officer of a belligerent nation in boarding a vessel in order to ascertain the nature of its cargo, its nationality, etc..

   the right of visit and search.

visit

/ ˈvɪzɪt /

verb

1. to go or come to see (a person, place, etc)

2. to stay with (someone) as a guest

3. to go or come to (an institution, place, etc) for the purpose of inspecting or examining

4. (tr) (of a disease, disaster, etc) to assail; afflict

5. (tr; foll by upon or on) to inflict (punishment, etc)

   the judge visited his full anger upon the defendant

6. archaic,  to afflict or plague (with punishment, etc)

7. informal,  (often foll by with) to chat or converse (with someone)

noun

1. the act or an instance of visiting

2. a stay as a guest

3. a professional or official call

4. a formal call for the purpose of inspection or examination

5. international law the right of an officer of a belligerent state to stop and search neutral ships in war to verify their nationality and ascertain whether they carry contraband

   the right of visit and search

6. informal,  a friendly talk or chat

Other Word Forms

• intervisit verb (used without object)
• nonvisiting adjective
• previsit noun
• revisit verb
• unvisited adjective
• unvisiting adjective
• visitable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of visit¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English visiten (verb), from Old French visiter, from Latin vīsitāre “to see repeatedly,” from vīsere “to go to see,” from vidēre “to see”; noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of visit¹

C13: from Latin vīsitāre to go to see, from vīsere to examine, from vidēre to see

Idioms and Phrases

see pay a call (visit).

Example Sentences

In stark contrast to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, going 12 games without defeat until his first visit to Celtic Park.

Read more on BBC

The First Lady's letter was hand delivered to Putin during his Alaska visit in August.

Read more on BBC

All of which gave us plenty to discuss with the theatrical great when he paid a recent visit to our New York office, right when “Masquerade” was set to open.

Read more on MarketWatch

She clutched my arm tightly at every visit, sharing her terror that she would lose her prodigious memory—she was able to recite long passages of Shakespeare—and end, undignified, in a nursing home.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

One of its common names, Jimson Weed, refers to Jamestown, where visiting British forces mistakenly ate the weed in a salad and spent 11 days in a stupefied delirium.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• call 
• call on 
• frequent 
• hit 
• inspect 
• play 
• see 
• stay at www.thesaurus.com
• talk 
• tour