perceived; perceiving; perceives
1
a
: to attain awareness or understanding of
b
: to regard as being such
was perceived as a loser
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
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Section 301 tariffs—levied on imports from nations the U.S. perceives to be engaging in unfair trade practices—also pile on top of those.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Police worry, however, that a trend toward players ambushing others while wearing masks and camouflage and painting their weapons black to look real could cause concealed carry holders to feel threatened, perceive them as active shooters, and fire at the teens with real bullets.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2025
The 1980s brought an interest in the Necker cube, an optical illusion in which a two-dimensional drawing of a cube is perceived as having three dimensions and two possible spatial orientations.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Apr. 2025
Though the party may not explicitly endorse such behaviors, its hesitance to denounce them outright can be perceived as tacit approval, alienating voters who value law and order.
—Nafees Alam, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perceive
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Police worry, however, that a trend toward players ambushing others while wearing masks and camouflage and painting their weapons black to look real could cause concealed carry holders to feel threatened, perceive them as active shooters, and fire at the teens with real bullets.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2025
The 1980s brought an interest in the Necker cube, an optical illusion in which a two-dimensional drawing of a cube is perceived as having three dimensions and two possible spatial orientations.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Apr. 2025
Though the party may not explicitly endorse such behaviors, its hesitance to denounce them outright can be perceived as tacit approval, alienating voters who value law and order.
—Nafees Alam, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perceive
Cite this Entry
“Perceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perceive. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perceive
verb
per·ceive
pər-ˈsēv 
perceived; perceiving
2
: to become aware of through the senses and especially through sight
perceiver
noun
Medical Definition
perceive
transitive verb
per·ceive
pər-ˈsēv
perceived; perceiving
: to become aware of through the senses
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