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perceive

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per·ceive

(pər-sēv′)

tr.v. per·ceived, per·ceiv·ing, per·ceives

a. To become aware of (something) directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing: We could perceive three figures in the fog.

b. To cause or allow the mind to become aware of (a stimulus): The ear perceives sounds.

2. To achieve understanding of; apprehend: Einstein perceived that energy and matter are equivalent. See Synonyms at see¹.

3. To regard or consider; deem: an old technology that is still perceived as useful; a politician who is perceived to be a dissembler.

[Middle English perceiven, from Old French perceivre, from Latin percipere : per-, per- + capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]

per·ceiv′a·ble adj.

per·ceiv′a·bly adv.

per·ceiv′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

perceive

(pəˈsiːv)

1. to become aware of (something) through the senses, esp the sight; recognize or observe

2. (tr; may take a clause as object) to come to comprehend; grasp

[C13: from Old French perçoivre, from Latin percipere seize entirely, from per- (thoroughly) + capere to grasp]

perˈceivable adj

perˌceivaˈbility n

perˈceivably adv

perˈceiver n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

per•ceive

(pərˈsiv)

v.t. -ceived, -ceiv•ing.

1. to become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses.

2. to recognize, discern, or understand: to perceive difficulties.

[1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French *perceivre, for Old French perçoivre < Latin percipere to lay hold of, grasp =per- per- + -cipere, comb. form of capere to take]

per•ceiv′a•ble, adj.

per•ceiv′a•bly, adv.

per•ceiv′er, n.

perceive

Past participle: perceived
Gerund: perceiving

Imperative
perceive
perceive

Present
I perceive
you perceive
he/she/it perceives
we perceive
you perceive
they perceive

Preterite
I perceived
you perceived
he/she/it perceived
we perceived
you perceived
they perceived

Present Continuous
I am perceiving
you are perceiving
he/she/it is perceiving
we are perceiving
you are perceiving
they are perceiving

Present Perfect
I have perceived
you have perceived
he/she/it has perceived
we have perceived
you have perceived
they have perceived

Past Continuous
I was perceiving
you were perceiving
he/she/it was perceiving
we were perceiving
you were perceiving
they were perceiving

Past Perfect
I had perceived
you had perceived
he/she/it had perceived
we had perceived
you had perceived
they had perceived

Future
I will perceive
you will perceive
he/she/it will perceive
we will perceive
you will perceive
they will perceive

Future Perfect
I will have perceived
you will have perceived
he/she/it will have perceived
we will have perceived
you will have perceived
they will have perceived

Future Continuous
I will be perceiving
you will be perceiving
he/she/it will be perceiving
we will be perceiving
you will be perceiving
they will be perceiving

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been perceiving
you have been perceiving
he/she/it has been perceiving
we have been perceiving
you have been perceiving
they have been perceiving

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been perceiving
you will have been perceiving
he/she/it will have been perceiving
we will have been perceiving
you will have been perceiving
they will have been perceiving

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been perceiving
you had been perceiving
he/she/it had been perceiving
we had been perceiving
you had been perceiving
they had been perceiving

Conditional
I would perceive
you would perceive
he/she/it would perceive
we would perceive
you would perceive
they would perceive

Past Conditional
I would have perceived
you would have perceived
he/she/it would have perceived
we would have perceived
you would have perceived
they would have perceived

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb

perceive - to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon"

sense, feel - perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles; "He felt the wind"; "She felt an object brushing her arm"; "He felt his flesh crawl"; "She felt the heat when she got out of the car"

apperceive - perceive in terms of a past experience

receive, pick up - register (perceptual input); "pick up a signal"

divine - perceive intuitively or through some inexplicable perceptive powers

hallucinate - perceive what is not there; have illusions

catch, pick up - perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily; "I caught the aroma of coffee"; "He caught the allusion in her glance"; "ears open to catch every sound"; "The dog picked up the scent"; "Catch a glimpse"

dream - experience while sleeping; "She claims to never dream"; "He dreamt a strange scene"

ache, hurt, suffer - feel physical pain; "Were you hurting after the accident?"

smell - inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense

touch - perceive via the tactile sense; "Helen Keller felt the physical world by touching people and objects around her"

see - perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight; "You have to be a good observer to see all the details"; "Can you see the bird in that tree?"; "He is blind--he cannot see"

sight, spy - catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; "he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge"

hear - perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

listen - hear with intention; "Listen to the sound of this cello"

taste - perceive by the sense of taste; "Can you taste the garlic?"

find - perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place; "I found myself in a difficult situation"; "When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room"

see through - perceive the true nature of; "We could see through her apparent calm"

perceive - become conscious of; "She finally perceived the futility of her protest"

smell out, sense, smell - become aware of not through the senses but instinctively; "I sense his hostility"; "i smell trouble"; "smell out corruption"

realize, see, understand, realise - perceive (an idea or situation) mentally; "Now I see!"; "I just can't see your point"; "Does she realize how important this decision is?"; "I don't understand the idea"

perceive

verb

1. see, notice, note, identify, discover, spot, observe, remark, recognize, distinguish, glimpse, make out, pick out, discern, behold, catch sight of, espy, descry I perceived a number of changes

2. understand, sense, gather, get (informal), know, see, feel, learn, realize, conclude, appreciate, grasp, comprehend, get the message about, deduce, apprehend, suss (out) (slang), get the picture about He was beginning to perceive the true nature of their relationship.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

perceive

verb

1. To apprehend (images) by use of the eyes:

2. To be intuitively aware of:

Translations

يَرى، يُلاحِظ، يُدْرِك

pochopituvědomit si

forståopfatte

észlel

skynja; skilja

justi

aptvertmanītsaprast

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

perceive

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

perceive

(pəˈsiːv) verb

to be or become aware of (something); to understand; to realize. She perceived that he was tired.

perceive

v. darse cuenta de, percibir, advertir.