See — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

See (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes

   "out of the corner of my eye I saw the deer run into the woods"

   similar: behold, catch, descry, discern, distinguish, espy, eye, look (at), note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, remark, sight, spot, spy, view, witness, get a load of (slang), lay eyes on, set eyes on
   related: identify, make out, pick out, pick up, attend (to), consider, heed, mark, mind, study, watch, examine, inspect, scan, scrutinize, survey, glance (at), glimpse, peer (at)
   near: disregard, ignore, neglect, overpass, pass over, miss, overlook

2. to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

   "a writer who saw World War II through the eyes of a common soldier"

   similar: endure, experience, feel, have, know, pass, suffer, sustain, taste, undergo, witness, go through
   related: encounter, meet, accept, receive, assimilate, digest

3. to come to an awareness of

   "I bought the best seller just to see what all the fuss was about"

   similar: ascertain, catch on (to), discover, find out, get on (to), hear, learn, realize, wise (up), get wind of
   related: hit (on or upon), tumble (to), descry, detect, encounter, espy, spot, calculate, dope (out), figure out, find, puzzle (out), discern, mind, note, observe, perceive, divine
   near: miss, overlook, disregard, ignore, forget, unlearn, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, enshroud, hide, mask, occult, screen, shroud, veil

4. to have a vague awareness of

   "I see a certain sadness in his letters to his relatives back home"

   similar: feel, perceive, scent, sense, smell, taste
   related: behold, descry, discern, distinguish, espy, eye, look (at), note, notice, observe, regard, remark, sight, spy, view, witness, ascertain, catch on (to), discover, find out, hear, learn, realize, anticipate, divine, expect, foreknow, foresee, assume, conjecture, guess, presume, speculate, suppose, surmise, suspect

5. to make a social call upon

   "you should go and see Father at the hospital this afternoon"

   similar: call (on or upon), drop in (on), visit
   related: look up, seek (out), drop by
   near: brush (aside or off), cold-shoulder, ignore, snub

6. to have a clear idea of

   "I see your point"

   similar: appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, pick up on
   related: absorb, digest, take in, realize, fathom, penetrate, pierce
   opposite: miss
   near: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

7. to go along with in order to provide assistance, protection, or companionship

   "thanks for coming, and I'll see you to the door"

   similar: accompany, attend, chaperone, companion, company, convoy, escort, squire
   related: walk, associate, consort, pal (around), team (up), defend, guard, protect, bring, conduct, guide, lead, pilot, steer, usher, follow, shadow, tag, tag along, tail, hang (around), hover (over)
   near: abandon, desert, ditch, dump, forsake

8. to form a mental picture of

   "I can't see that spoiled brat as a soldier at all"

   similar: conceit (chiefly dialect), conceive, conjure (up), dream, envisage, envision, fancy, fantasize, fantasy, feature, ideate, image, imagine, picture, vision, visualize
   related: daydream, stargaze, hallucinate, re-create, reflect, relive, reminisce, contemplate, meditate, muse, ponder, ruminate, concoct, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, plan, project, foresee, prefigure