see definition | Dictionary.com

see

1 [see]

verb, saw, seen, see⋅ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to perceive with the eyes; look at.

2.	to view; visit or attend as a spectator: to see a play.

3.	to perceive by means of computer vision.

4.	to scan or view, esp. by electronic means: The satellite can see the entire southern half of the country.

5.	to perceive (things) mentally; discern; understand: to see the point of an argument.

6.	to construct a mental image of; visualize: He still saw his father as he was 25 years ago.

7.	to accept or imagine or suppose as acceptable: I can't see him as president.

8.	to be cognizant of; recognize: to see the good in others; to see where the mistake is.

9.	to foresee: He could see war ahead.

10.	to ascertain, learn, or find out: See who is at the door.

11.	to have knowledge or experience of: to see service in the foreign corps.

12.	to make sure: See that the work is done.

13.	to meet and converse with: Are you seeing her at lunch today?

14.	to receive as a visitor: The ambassador finally saw him.

15.	to visit: He's gone to see his aunt.

16.	to court, keep company with, or date frequently: They've been seeing each other for a long time.

17.	to provide aid or assistance to; take care of: He's seeing his brother through college.

18.	to attend or escort: to see someone home.

19.	Cards. to match (a bet) or match the bet of (a bettor) by staking an equal sum; call: I'll see your five and raise you five more.

20.	to prefer (someone or something) to be as indicated (usually used as a mild oath): I'll see you in hell before I sell you this house. He'll see the business fail before he admits he's wrong.

21.	to read or read about: I saw it in the newspaper.

–verb (used without object)

22.	to have the power of sight.

23.	to be capable of perceiving by means of computer vision.

24.	to understand intellectually or spiritually; have insight: Philosophy teaches us to see.

25.	to give attention or care: See, there it goes.

26.	to find out; make inquiry: Go and see for yourself.

27.	to consider; think; deliberate: Let me see, how does that song go?

28.	to look about; observe: They heard the noise and came out to see.

—Verb phrases

29.

see about,

a.	to investigate; inquire about.

b.	to turn one's attention to; take care of: He said he would see about getting the license plates.

30.	see after, to attend to; take care of: Will you please see after my plants while I'm away?

31.	see off, to take leave of someone setting out on a journey; accompany to the place of departure: I went to the airport to see them off.

32.	see out, to remain with (a task, project, etc.) until its completion: We decided to see it out, even if it meant another year.

33.

see through,

a.	to penetrate to the true nature of; comprehend; detect: He quickly saw through my story.

b.	to stay with to the end or until completion; persevere: to see a difficult situation through.

34.	see to, to take care of; be responsible for: I'll see to the theater tickets.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME seen, OE sēon; c. D zien, G sehen, ON sjā, Goth saihwan

Related forms:

see⋅a⋅ble, adjective

see⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. observe, notice, distinguish, discern, behold, regard. See watch. 5. comprehend, penetrate. 10. determine. 11. know, undergo. 18. accompany.

see

2 [see]

–noun Ecclesiastical.

the seat, center of authority, office, or jurisdiction of a bishop.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME se(e) < OF se (var. of sie) < L sēdes seat

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To see

see¹ (sē)

v. saw (sô), seen (sēn), see·ing, sees

v. tr.

To perceive with the eye.
1. To apprehend as if with the eye.
2. To detect by means analogous to use of the eye: an electronic surveillance camera that saw the activity in the embassy yard.
3. To visit socially; call on.
4. To visit for consultation: You ought to see your doctor more frequently.
5. To meet (a bet) in card games.
6. To meet the bet of (another player).
To have a mental image of; visualize: They could still see their hometown as it once was.
To understand; comprehend: I see your point.
To consider to be; regard: Many saw her as a world leader.
To believe possible; imagine: I don't see him as a teacher.
To foresee: I see great things for that child.
To know through firsthand experience; undergo: "He saw some service on the king's side" (Tucker Brooke).
To give rise to or be characterized by: "Her long reign saw the heyday of verbal humor" (Richard Kain). "The 1930s saw the development of sulfa drugs and penicillin" (Gregg Easterbrook).
To find out; ascertain: Please see who's knocking.
To refer to; read: Persons interested in the book's history should see page one of the preface.
To take note of; recognize: She sees only the good aspects of the organization.
To meet or be in the company of: I saw all my aunts and uncles at the reunion.
To share the companionship of often or regularly: He's been seeing the same woman for eight years.
1. To visit socially; call on.
2. To visit for consultation: You ought to see your doctor more frequently.
3. To meet (a bet) in card games.
4. To meet the bet of (another player).
To admit or receive, as for consultation or a social visit: The doctor will see you now.
To attend; view: Let's see a movie.
To escort; attend: I'm seeing Nellie home.
To make sure; take care: See that it gets done right away.
Games
1. To meet (a bet) in card games.
2. To meet the bet of (another player).

v. intr.

To have the power to perceive with or as if with the eye.
To understand; comprehend.
To consider: Let's see, which suitcase should we take?
1. To go and look: She had to see for herself and went into the garage.
2. To ascertain; find out: We probably can do it, but we'll have to see.
To have foresight: "No man can see to the end of time" (John F. Kennedy).
To take note.
To attend to.
To investigate.
To escort (a guest) to the door: Will you please see Ms. Smith out?
To work on (a project) until completion: Despite poor funding, we saw the project out.
To understand the true character or nature of: We saw through his superficial charm.
To provide support or cooperation to (a person) throughout a period of time: We'll see you through until you finish college.
To work on (a project) until completion.

Phrasal Verb(s):
see about

To attend to.
To investigate.

see afterTo take care of: Please see after the children while I'm gone.
see offTo take leave of (someone): saw the guests off at the door; went to the airport to see us off.
see out

To escort (a guest) to the door: Will you please see Ms. Smith out?
To work on (a project) until completion: Despite poor funding, we saw the project out.

see through

To understand the true character or nature of: We saw through his superficial charm.
To provide support or cooperation to (a person) throughout a period of time: We'll see you through until you finish college.
To work on (a project) until completion.

see toTo attend to: See to the chores, will you?

Idiom(s):
see red Informal To be extremely angry.

Idiom(s):
see you laterInformal Used to express good-bye.

[Middle English sen, from Old English sēon; see sek^w-² in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: These verbs refer to being or becoming visually or mentally aware of something. See, the most general, can mean merely to use the faculty of sight but more often implies recognition, understanding, or appreciation: "If I have seen further (than ... Descartes) it is by standing upon the shoulders of Giants" (Isaac Newton).
Behold implies gazing at or looking intently upon what is seen: "My heart leaps up when I behold/A rainbow in the sky" (William Wordsworth).
Note, notice, and remark suggest close, detailed observation, and note in particular implies making a careful, systematic mental recording: Be careful to note that we turn left at the church. I notice that you're out of sorts. "Their assemblies afforded me daily opportunities of remarking characters and manners" (Samuel Johnson).
Espy and descry both stress acuteness of sight that permits the detection of something distant or obscure: "espied the misspelled Latin word in [the] letter" (Los Angeles Times). "the lighthouse, which can be descried from a distance" (Michael Strauss).
Observe emphasizes careful, closely directed attention: "I saw the pots ... and observed that they did not crack at all" (Daniel Defoe).
Contemplate implies looking attentively and thoughtfully: "It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants" (Charles Darwin).
Survey stresses comprehensive examination: "Strickland looked away and idly surveyed the ceiling" (W. Somerset Maugham).
View usually suggests examination with a particular purpose in mind or in a special way: The medical examiner viewed the victim's body.
Perceive and discern both imply not only visual recognition but also mental comprehension; perceive is especially associated with insight, and discern, with the ability to distinguish, discriminate, and make judgments: "I plainly perceive [that] some objections remain" (Edmund Burke). "Your sense of humor would discern the hollowness beneath all the pomp and ceremony" (Edna Ferber).

see² (sē)

The official seat, center of authority, jurisdiction, or office of a bishop.
Obsolete A cathedra.

[Middle English, from Old French se, from Vulgar Latin *sedem, from Latin sēdēs, seat; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

See

See\, v. t. In poker and similar games at cards, to meet (a bet), or to equal the bet of (a player), by staking the same sum.

See

See\, n. [OE. se, see, OF. se, sed, sied, fr. L. sedes a seat, or the kindred sedere to sit. See Sit, and cf. Siege.]

1. A seat; a site; a place where sovereign power is exercised. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Jove laughed on Venus from his sovereign see. --Spenser.

2. Specifically: (a) The seat of episcopal power; a diocese; the jurisdiction of a bishop; as, the see of New York. (b) The seat of an archibishop; a province or jurisdiction of an archibishop; as, an archiepiscopal see. (c) The seat, place, or office of the pope, or Roman pontiff; as, the papal see. (d) The pope or his court at Rome; as, to appeal to the see of Rome.

Apostolic see. See under Apostolic.

See

See\, v. t. [imp. Saw; p. p. Seen; p. pr. & vb. n. Seeing.] [OE. seen, sen, seon, As. se['o]n; akin to OFries. s[=i]a, D. zien, OS. & OHG. sehan, G. sehen, Icel. sj[=a], Sw. se, Dan. see, Goth. sa['i]hwan, and probably to L. sequi to follow (and so originally meaning, to follow with the eyes). Gr. ??????, Skr. sac. Cf. Sight, Sun to follow.]

1. To perceive by the eye; to have knowledge of the existence and apparent qualities of by the organs of sight; to behold; to descry; to view.

I will new turn aside, and see this great sight. --Ex. iii. 3.

2. To perceive by mental vision; to form an idea or conception of; to note with the mind; to observe; to discern; to distinguish; to understand; to comprehend; to ascertain.

Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren. --Gen. xxxvii. 14.

Jesus saw that he answered discreetly. --Mark xii. 34.

Who 's so gross That seeth not this palpable device? --Shak.

3. To follow with the eyes, or as with the eyes; to watch; to regard attentivelly; to look after. --Shak.

I had a mind to see him out, and therefore did not care for centradicting him. --Addison.

4. To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit; as, to go to see a friend.

And Samuel came no more to see Saul untill the day of his death. --1 Sam. xv. 35.

5. To fall in with; to have intercourse or communication with; hence, to have knowledge or experience of; as, to see military service.

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. --Ps. xc. 15.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. --John viii. 51.

Improvement in wisdom and prudence by seeing men. --Locke.

6. To accompany in person; to escort; to wait upon; as, to see one home; to see one aboard the cars.

God you (him, or me, etc.) see, God keep you (him, me, etc.) in his sight; God protect you. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

To see (anything) out, to see (it) to the end; to be present at, or attend, to the end.

To see stars, to see flashes of light, like stars; -- sometimes the result of concussion of the head. [Colloq.]

To see (one) through, to help, watch, or guard (one) to the end of a course or an undertaking.

See

See\, v. i. 1. To have the power of sight, or of perceiving by the proper organs; to possess or employ the sense of vision; as, he sees distinctly.

Whereas I was blind, now I see. --John ix. 25.

2. Figuratively: To have intellectual apprehension; to perceive; to know; to understand; to discern; -- often followed by a preposition, as through, or into.

For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. --John ix. 39.

Many sagacious persons will find us out, . . . and see through all our fine pretensions. --Tillotson.

3. To be attentive; to take care; to give heed; -- generally with to; as, to see to the house.

See that ye fall not out by the way. --Gen. xiv. 24.

Note: Let me see, Let us see, are used to express consideration, or to introduce the particular consideration of a subject, or some scheme or calculation.

Cassio's a proper man, let me see now, - To get his place. --Shak.

Note: See is sometimes used in the imperative for look, or behold. "See. see! upon the banks of Boyne he stands." --Halifax.

To see about a thing, to pay attention to it; to consider it.

To see on, to look at. [Obs.] "She was full more blissful on to see." --Chaucer.

To see to. (a) To look at; to behold; to view. [Obs.] "An altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to" --Josh. xxii. 10. (b) To take care about; to look after; as, to see to a fire.

Language Translation for : see

Spanish: ver,

German: sehen,

Japanese: 見る

More Translations »

see (v.)

O.E. seon (contracted class V strong verb; past tense seah, pp. sewen), from P.Gmc. *sekhwanan (cf. O.S., O.H.G. sehan, M.H.G., Ger. sehen, O.Fris. sia, M.Du. sien, O.N. sja, Goth. saihwan), from PIE base *sekw- "to see," which is "probably" the same base that produced words for "say" in Greek and Latin, and also words for "follow" (cf. L. sequor), but "opinions differ in regard to the semantic starting-point and sequences" [Buck]. Thus see could originally mean "follow with the eyes." Used in M.E. to mean "behold in the imagination or in a dream" (c.1200), "to recognize the force of (a demonstration)," also c.1200, "often with ref. to metaphorical light or eyes" [OED], and "to learn by reading" (1426). Past tense saw developed from O.E. pl. sawon.

"When you have seen one of their Pictures, you have seen all." [Blake, c.1811]

Sense of "escort" (e.g. to see someone home) first recorded 1607 in Shakespeare. Meaning "to receive as a visitor" is attested from c.1500. Gambling sense of "equal a bet" is from 1599. See you as a casual farewell first attested 1891. Seeing Eye dog first attested 1929, Amer.Eng., trademarked by Seeing Eye Inc. of New Jersey.

see (n.)

"position of a bishop," 1297, from O.Fr. sied, sed, from L. sedem (nom. sedes) "seat, abode," related to sedere "to sit" (see sedentary).

Main Entry: see
Pronunciation: 'sE
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: saw /'so/; seen /'sEn/; see·ing /'sE-i[ng]/
transitive senses
: to perceive by the eye see intransitive senses
1 : to have the power of sight
2 : to apprehend objects by sight

SEE
1. Simultaneous Engineering Environment.
2. Software Engineering Environment.
(1999-04-26)

see

In addition to the idioms beginning with see, also see as far as I can see; begin to see daylight; can't see beyond the end of one's nose; can't see the forest for the trees; I'll be seeing you; I see; let me see; long time no see; so I see; wait and see. Also see under seen.

Search another word or see see on Thesaurus | Reference

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us