The verb see is used with several different meanings. Its past tense is saw. Its -ed participle is seen.
If you can see something, you are aware of it through your eyes.
Be Careful!
You usually use can in sentences like these. You say, for example, 'I can see the sea'. You don't say 'I see the sea'. Don't use a progressive form. Don't say 'I am seeing the sea'.
To say that someone was aware of something in this way in the past, you usually use could see.
To say that someone became aware of something, use saw.
Be Careful!
Don't confuse see with look at or watch.
See is often used to mean 'visit' or 'meet by arrangement'.
If two people are meeting regularly, for example because they are in love, you can say that they are seeing each other. When see has this meaning, it is usually used in a progressive form.
See is very commonly used to mean 'understand'.
People often say 'I see' to show that they have understood something.
When see means 'understand', you can use can or could with it.
Be Careful!
Don't use a progressive form when see means 'understand'. Don't say, for example, 'I am seeing why they're worried'.
When you see something, you are aware of it through your eyes, or you notice it.
When you look at something, you direct your eyes towards it.
When you watch something, you pay attention to it using your eyes, because you are interested in what it is doing, or in what may happen.
Both see and watch are used when you are talking about entertainment or sport.
When you go to the theatre or cinema, you say that you see a play or film.
Don't say that someone 'looks at' a play or film. Don't say, for example 'I looked at that movie'.
You say that someone watches television. You can say that someone watches or sees a particular programme.
Similarly, you say that someone watches a sport such as football, but you can say that they watch or see a particular match.
| Imperative |
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| see |
| see |
| Noun | 1. | see - the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located seat - a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised) |
| Verb | 1. | 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" perceive, comprehend - to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon" glimpse - catch a glimpse of or see briefly; "We glimpsed the Queen as she got into her limousine" see - see and understand, have a good eye; "The artist must first learn to see" behold, lay eyes on - see with attention; "behold Christ!" view, watch, take in, see, catch - see or watch; "view a show on television"; "This program will be seen all over the world"; "view an exhibition"; "Catch a show on Broadway"; "see a movie" see - observe as if with an eye; "The camera saw the burglary and recorded it" |
| 2. | see - 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 - become conscious of; "She finally perceived the futility of her protest" take account, appreciate - be fully aware of; realize fully; "Do you appreciate the full meaning of this letter?" envision, fancy, picture, visualize, image, visualise, figure, see, project - imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind; "I can't see him on horseback!"; "I can see what will happen"; "I can see a risk in this strategy" see - see and understand, have a good eye; "The artist must first learn to see" | |
| 3. | see - perceive or be contemporaneous with; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see a lot of cheating in this school"; "The 1960's saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see results" get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, discover, find out, pick up, see - get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted" catch - become aware of; "he caught her staring out the window" experience, go through, see - go or live through; "We had many trials to go through"; "he saw action in Viet Nam" 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" | |
| 4. | see - imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind; "I can't see him on horseback!"; "I can see what will happen"; "I can see a risk in this strategy"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" visualise, visualize - form a mental picture of something that is invisible or abstract; "Mathematicians often visualize" conceive of, envisage, ideate, imagine - form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case; "Can you conceive of him as the president?" | |
| 5. | see - deem to be; "She views this quite differently from me"; "I consider her to be shallow"; "I don't see the situation quite as negatively as you do" expect - consider reasonable or due; "I'm expecting a full explanation as to why these files were destroyed" receive - regard favorably or with disapproval; "Her new collection of poems was not well received" construe, interpret, see - make sense of; assign a meaning to; "What message do you see in this letter?"; "How do you interpret his behavior?" reconsider - consider again; give new consideration to; usually with a view to changing; "Won't you reconsider your decision?" reconsider - consider again (a bill) that had been voted upon before, with a view to altering it include - consider as part of something; "I include you in the list of culprits" think, believe, conceive, consider - judge or regard; look upon; judge; "I think he is very smart"; "I believe her to be very smart"; "I think that he is her boyfriend"; "The racist conceives such people to be inferior" consider - regard or treat with consideration, respect, and esteem; "Please consider your family" call - consider or regard as being; "I would not call her beautiful" like - feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard; "How did you like the President's speech last night?" relativise, relativize - consider or treat as relative identify - consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else; "He identified with the refugees" abstract - consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically reify - consider an abstract concept to be real deem, take for, view as, hold - keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view; "take for granted"; "view as important"; "hold these truths to be self-evident"; "I hold him personally responsible" esteem, respect, value, prise, prize - regard highly; think much of; "I respect his judgement"; "We prize his creativity" disesteem, disrespect - have little or no respect for; hold in contempt make - consider as being; "It wasn't the problem some people made it" capitalise, capitalize - consider expenditures as capital assets rather than expenses | |
| 6. | see - get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted" get the goods - discover some bad or hidden information about; "She got the goods on her co-worker after reading his e-mail" wise up - get wise to; "They wised up to it" ascertain - learn or discover with certainty | |
| 7. | see - see or watch; "view a show on television"; "This program will be seen all over the world"; "view an exhibition"; "Catch a show on Broadway"; "see a movie"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" watch - look attentively; "watch a basketball game" visualise, visualize - view the outline of by means of an X-ray; "The radiologist can visualize the cancerous liver" spectate - be a spectator in a sports event preview - watch (a movie or play) before it is released to the general public | |
| 8. | see - come together; "I'll probably see you at the meeting"; "How nice to see you again!"foregather, forgather, gather, assemble, meet - collect in one place; "We assembled in the church basement"; "Let's gather in the dining room" | |
| 9. | see - find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time" insure, see to it, ensure, ascertain, check, assure, control, see - be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; "He verified that the valves were closed"; "See that the curtains are closed"; "control the quality of the product" ascertain, determine, find out, find - establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize" test - determine the presence or properties of (a substance) | |
| 10. | see - be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; "He verified that the valves were closed"; "See that the curtains are closed"; "control the quality of the product" check off, tick off, mark off, tick, check, mark - put a check mark on or near or next to; "Please check each name on the list"; "tick off the items"; "mark off the units" control - verify by using a duplicate register for comparison; "control an account" check - verify by consulting a source or authority; "check the spelling of this word"; "check your facts" double-check - check once more to be absolutely sure cross-check - check out conflicting sources; crosscheck facts, for example cinch - make sure of card - ask someone for identification to determine whether he or she is old enough to consume liquor; "I was carded when I tried to buy a beer!" spot-check - pick out random samples for examination in order to ensure high quality verify - confirm the truth of; "Please verify that the doors are closed"; "verify a claim" ascertain, find out, learn, watch, determine, see, check - find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time" cover - maintain a check on; especially by patrolling; "The second officer covered the top floor" | |
| 11. | see - go to see for professional or business reasons; "You should see a lawyer"; "We had to see a psychiatrist" see - receive as a specified guest; "the doctor will see you now"; "The minister doesn't see anybody before noon" | |
| 12. | see - go to see for a social visit; "I went to see my friend Mary the other day" | |
| 13. | see - go to see a place, as for entertainment; "We went to see the Eiffel Tower in the morning" tour - make a tour of a certain place; "We toured the Provence this summer" see - go to see for a social visit; "I went to see my friend Mary the other day" take in - visit for entertainment; "take in the sights" | |
| 14. | see - take charge of or deal with; "Could you see about lunch?"; "I must attend to this matter"; "She took care of this business"minister - attend to the wants and needs of others; "I have to minister to my mother all the time" tend - have care of or look after; "She tends to the children" | |
| 15. | see - receive as a specified guest; "the doctor will see you now"; "The minister doesn't see anybody before noon" receive, take in, invite - express willingness to have in one's home or environs; "The community warmly received the refugees" see - go to see for professional or business reasons; "You should see a lawyer"; "We had to see a psychiatrist" | |
| 16. | see - date regularly; have a steady relationship with; "Did you know that she is seeing an older man?"; "He is dating his former wife again!" date - go on a date with; "Tonight she is dating a former high school sweetheart" | |
| 17. | see - see and understand, have a good eye; "The artist must first learn to see" 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" 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" | |
| 18. | see - deliberate or decide; "See whether you can come tomorrow"; "let's see--which movie should we see tonight?" deliberate, moot, debate, consider, turn over - think about carefully; weigh; "They considered the possibility of a strike"; "Turn the proposal over in your mind" | |
| 19. | see - observe as if with an eye; "The camera saw the burglary and recorded it" 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" | |
| 20. | see - observe, check out, and look over carefully or inspect; "The customs agent examined the baggage"; "I must see your passport before you can enter the country"search - subject to a search; "The police searched the suspect"; "We searched the whole house for the missing keys" x-ray - examine by taking x-rays candle - examine eggs for freshness by holding them against a light autopsy - perform an autopsy on a dead body; do a post-mortem auscultate - examine by auscultation survey - look over carefully or inspect; "He surveyed his new classmates" glance over, scan, skim, rake, run down - examine hastily; "She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi" scan - examine minutely or intensely; "the surgeon scanned the X-ray" peruse - examine or consider with attention and in detail; "Please peruse this report at your leisure" scrutinise, scrutinize, size up, take stock - to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail; "he scrutinized his likeness in the mirror" search, look - search or seek; "We looked all day and finally found the child in the forest"; "Look elsewhere for the perfect gift!" inspect - look over carefully; "Please inspect your father's will carefully" check - make an examination or investigation; "check into the rumor"; "check the time of the class" | |
| 21. | see - go or live through; "We had many trials to go through"; "he saw action in Viet Nam"experience, know, live - have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations; "I know the feeling!"; "have you ever known hunger?"; "I have lived a kind of hell when I was a drug addict"; "The holocaust survivors have lived a nightmare"; "I lived through two divorces" undergo - pass through; "The chemical undergoes a sudden change"; "The fluid undergoes shear"; "undergo a strange sensation" suffer, endure - undergo or be subjected to; "He suffered the penalty"; "Many saints suffered martyrdom" feel - undergo passive experience of:"We felt the effects of inflation"; "her fingers felt their way through the string quartet"; "she felt his contempt of her" enjoy - have for one's benefit; "The industry enjoyed a boom" witness, see, find - perceive or be contemporaneous with; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see a lot of cheating in this school"; "The 1960's saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see results" come - experience orgasm; "she could not come because she was too upset" | |
| 22. | see - accompany or escort; "I'll see you to the door" accompany - go or travel along with; "The nurse accompanied the old lady everywhere" | |
| 23. | see - match or meet; "I saw the bet of one of my fellow players" | |
| 24. | see - make sense of; assign a meaning to; "What message do you see in this letter?"; "How do you interpret his behavior?" understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" be amiss, misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misunderstand, misinterpret - interpret in the wrong way; "Don't misinterpret my comments as criticism"; "She misconstrued my remarks" read between the lines - read what is implied but not expressed on the surface mythicise, mythicize - interpret as a myth or in terms of mythology; "mythicize the ancient stories" literalise, literalize - make literal; "literalize metaphors" spiritualise, spiritualize - give a spiritual meaning to; read in a spiritual sense reinterpret - assign a new or different meaning to allegorise, allegorize - interpret as an allegory read, take - interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression; "I read this address as a satire"; "How should I take this message?"; "You can't take credit for this!" read - interpret something that is written or printed; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?" |