perceive
verb
per·ceive
| \ pər-ˈsēv
\
\
perceived;
perceiving;
perceives
Definition of perceive
1a
: to attain awareness or understanding of
b
: to regard as being such
was perceived as a loser
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Other Words from perceive
perceivable
\ pər-ˈsē-və-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
perceivably
\ pər-ˈsē-və-blē
\
adverb
\
adverb
perceiver
noun
Examples of perceive in a Sentence
We perceive by means of the kaleidoscopic mirror of this life. This means that our ability to perceive is at once tyrannized by our expectations, and at war with them.
— James Baldwin, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, 1985
Standing in the hallway just out of sight during this interview was Sarah. She held her baby on her hip and she listened. She perceived as no one in the family could the enormity of the misfortune.
— E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, 1974
… and when they perceived her to be little struck with the duet they were so good as to play, they could do no more than make her a generous present of some of their least valued toys, and leave her to herself, while they adjourned to whatever might be the favourite holiday sport of the moment, making artificial flowers or wasting gold paper.
— Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814
I thought I perceived a problem, but I wasn't sure.
perceived that it was going to be a nice day
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Recent Examples on the Web
Too often, the natural resources in Africa are perceived not to be for the people who live there, Nyong'o said. — Nekesa Mumbi Moody, chicagotribune.com, "Series aims to tell wildlife stories from different view," 2 Aug. 2019 Sauce on your shirt How did the chefs in Amatrice feel about the fact that much of the world now perceives amatriciana to be a Roman dish? — New York Times, "Hunting for the Real Pasta all’Amatriciana," 31 July 2019 Another factor: Women perceive the ASPR as less hospitable to their research than men do, according to a recent survey of 2,000 members of the American Political Science Association. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "A top US political science journal ignored race and gender—until 12 women took over," 31 July 2019 Because Congress, especially a Democratic Congress, was perceived to be a roadblock, the idea of indexing capital gains typically was tied to the idea of making the change without congressional authorization. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Incredibly, GOP senators are demanding billions more in tax cuts for the rich," 30 July 2019 My studies show that enforcement actions that are perceived by immigrants to be arbitrary, discriminatory or unjust breed governmental distrust and undercut their confidence in the legitimacy of the law and legal authorities. — Emily Ryo, The Conversation, "How ICE enforcement has changed under the Trump administration," 29 July 2019 That means that the top two women are generally perceived to be the strongest candidates—even among men, who have often preferred candidates of their own gender in the past. — Natasha Bach, Fortune, "The Strongest 2020 Democratic Candidate Is a Woman, Poll Finds," 29 July 2019 The survey does not address who the aggressors are, though girls were more likely to note that their bullies were perceived to have the ability to influence others. — Sally Ho, Houston Chronicle, "US cyberbullying is rising, and girls are bearing the brunt," 26 July 2019 Mayor David Vann refused to call for the firing of Sands, which many black citizens perceived as public support. — Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al.com, "Documentary about Richard Arrington Jr. to premiere at the Sidewalk Film Festival," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perceive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for perceive
perceive
verb
English Language Learners Definition of perceive
formal
: to notice or become aware of (something)
: to think of (someone or something) as being something stated
See the full definition for perceive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
perceive
verb
per·ceive
| \ pər-ˈsēv
\
\
perceived;
perceiving
Kids Definition of perceive
1
: to become aware of through the senses and especially through sight
Perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them …— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz
2
: to recognize or realize
I perceived a change in her attitude.
3
: to think of as
The message was perceived as a threat.
perceive
transitive verb
per·ceive
| \ pər-ˈsēv
\
\
perceived;
perceiving
Medical Definition of perceive
: to become aware of through the senses
Other Words from perceive
perceivable
\ -ˈsē-və-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
perceivably
\ -blē
\
adverb
\
adverb
perceiver
noun