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 or upon ).

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.
   trusually foll bywith 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

Derived Forms

• ˈvisitable, adjective

Other Words From

• inter·visit verb (used without object)
• non·visit·ing adjective
• pre·visit noun verb
• re·visit verb noun
• un·visit·ed adjective
• un·visit·ing 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

“But how could I not stand up for my people?” she says when I first visit her Porter Ranch home in late September.

From Los Angeles Times

His last visit as president in 2018 sparked a security operation with thousands protesting in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

From BBC

Then spontaneously one Christmas, while his partner was away visiting family, he went out and bought a pack of bloodhounds.

From BBC

During a visit to Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his determination not to let Hamas have any role in governing Gaza after the war.

From BBC

Former President Clinton visited Orange County to campaign for Tran, a sign of how much the Democratic Party prioritized the race.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appointment
• call
• holiday
• interview
• stay
• stop
• stopover
• talk
• vacation