perceive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses.
I perceived an object looming through the mist.
- Synonyms:
- distinguish, descry, observe, discover, note
-
to recognize, discern, envision, or understand: This is a nice idea but I perceive difficulties in putting it into practice.
I perceive a note of sarcasm in your voice.
This is a nice idea but I perceive difficulties in putting it into practice.
verb
-
to become aware of (something) through the senses, esp the sight; recognize or observe
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to come to comprehend; grasp
Related Words
See notice.
Other Word Forms
- nonperceiving adjective
- perceivability noun
- perceivable adjective
- perceivably adverb
- perceiver noun
- perceivingness noun
- reperceive verb (used with object)
- self-perceiving adjective
- unperceiving adjective
Etymology
Origin of perceive
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perceiven, from unattested Anglo-French perceivre, for perçoivre, from Latin percipere “to lay hold of, grasp,” equivalent to per- per- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”
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.
As Apple’s Siri delay drags on, its “Magnificent Seven” peers are embarking on a massive AI spending spree to build out data centers, leading some investors to perceive Apple as an AI laggard.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
He adds that sometimes issues such as pregnancy loss are often medicalised, so there's a disconnect between someone's experience of grief - and how others perceive it.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
Some may perceive this as mere growing pains for a now-decade-old Silicon Valley giant that experienced a massive growth spurt after ChatGPT’s takeoff.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Medical schools were told that their curriculum should include content about “the diverse manner in which people perceive health and illness” and the “basic principles of culturally competent healthcare.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Imagine we live in a three-dimensional universe, locally distorted by matter into a fourth physical dimension that we cannot perceive directly.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
