see Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
  2. verb 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
  3. verb perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
    understand; realize; realise.
    • Now I see!
    • I just can't see your point
    • Does she realize how important this decision is?
    • I don't understand the idea
  4. verb perceive or be contemporaneous with
    find; witness.
    • 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
  5. verb imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind
    picture; visualize; envision; figure; visualise; image; fancy; project.
    • I can't see him on horseback!
    • I can see what will happen
    • I can see a risk in this strategy
  6. verb deem to be
    reckon; regard; consider; view.
    • 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
  7. verb get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
    pick up; get a line; discover; hear; learn; find out; get wind; get word.
    • I learned that she has two grown-up children
    • I see that you have been promoted
  8. verb see or watch
    catch; watch; take in; view.
    • 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
  9. verb come together
    come across; run into; meet; run across; encounter.
    • I'll probably see you at the meeting
    • How nice to see you again!
  10. verb find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort
    learn; watch; determine; ascertain; find out; check.
    • 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
  11. verb be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something
    insure; control; see to it; assure; ensure; ascertain; check.
    • He verified that the valves were closed
    • See that the curtains are closed
    • control the quality of the product
  12. verb go to see for professional or business reasons
    • You should see a lawyer
    • We had to see a psychiatrist
  13. verb go to see for a social visit
    • I went to see my friend Mary the other day
  14. verb go to see a place, as for entertainment
    visit.
    • We went to see the Eiffel Tower in the morning
  15. verb take charge of or deal with
    take care; attend; look.
    • Could you see about lunch?
    • I must attend to this matter
    • She took care of this business
  16. verb receive as a specified guest
    • the doctor will see you now
    • The minister doesn't see anybody before noon
  17. verb date regularly; have a steady relationship with
    date; go out; go steady.
    • Did you know that she is seeing an older man?
    • He is dating his former wife again!
  18. verb see and understand, have a good eye
    • The artist must first learn to see
  19. verb deliberate or decide
    • See whether you can come tomorrow
    • let's see--which movie should we see tonight?
  20. verb observe as if with an eye
    • The camera saw the burglary and recorded it
  21. verb observe, check out, and look over carefully or inspect
    examine.
    • The customs agent examined the baggage
    • I must see your passport before you can enter the country
  22. verb go or live through
    go through; experience.
    • We had many trials to go through
    • he saw action in Viet Nam
  23. verb accompany or escort
    escort.
    • I'll see you to the door
  24. verb match or meet
    • I saw the bet of one of my fellow players
  25. verb make sense of; assign a meaning to
    interpret; construe.
    • What message do you see in this letter?
    • How do you interpret his behavior?

WordNet

See noun
Etymology
OE. se, see, OF. se, sed, sied, fr. L. sedes a seat, or the kindred sedere to sit. See Sit, and cf. Siege.
Definitions
  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.
See transitive verb
Etymology
OE. seen, sen, seon, As. seón; akin to OFries. sia, D. zien, OS. & OHG. sehan, G. sehen, Icel. sja, Sw. se, Dan. see, Goth. saíhwan, and probably to L. sequi to follow (and so originally meaning, to follow with the eyes). Gr. , Skr. sac. Cf. Sight, Sun to follow.
Wordforms
imperfect Saw ; past participle Seen ; present participle & verbal noun Seeing
Definitions
  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 visdom 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.
See intransitive verb
Definitions
  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.
    ✍ 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.
    ✍ See is sometimes used in the imperative for look, or behold. "See. see! upon the banks of Boyne he stands." Halifax.

Webster 1913