perceive
verb
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Definition of perceive
1a : to attain awareness or understanding of
b : to regard as being such perceived threats was perceived as a loser
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Other Words from perceive
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adjective
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adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for perceive
Synonyms
appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, intuit, know, make, make out, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand
Antonyms
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Examples of perceive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Before his sentencing, Saucier and his attorney made a similar argument that was eventually disregarded by a judge who sentenced him for what was perceived as a lack of judgment rather than an attempt to thwart national security. — Nicholas Rondinone, courant.com, "In Lawsuit Citing Clinton Email Probe, Groton Sailor Pardoned By Trump Seeks $20M In Damages," 13 July 2018 Middles, by contrast, are characterized primarily as envious and are perceived as especially deficient in attributes related to confidence. — Adam Sternbergh, The Cut, "The Extinction of the Middle Child," 11 July 2018 And on the other side, the Trump administration will have to give China something, so that China will not be perceived as caving to US bullying. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Can the US-China trade war be stopped? 11 experts weigh in.," 8 July 2018 Social media is bringing attention to various overtly racist instances when existing in white spaces is perceived to be a threat. — Felice León, The Root, "Can We Live While Black?," 27 June 2018 For this reason, humans aren’t particularly aware of the richness of information that can be transmitted through the air, and can be perceived by a highly sensitive olfactory system. — Andrea Soltoggio, Smithsonian, "Artificial Intelligence May Be Able To Smell Illnesses in Human Breath," 12 June 2018 Alec Lane, Montecito’s senior class representative, said what is perceived as a school for thugs and hooligans really turned out not to be so scary. — Julie Gallant, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Montecito graduates look ahead to new options," 12 June 2018 This puts India in a considerably difficult position, since Moscow remains New Delhi’s most important defense partner, and is perceived as India’s all-weather friend. — Vinay Kaura, Time, "Strategic Ties Between India and the U.S. Are Growing. But Russia Is a Stumbling Block," 11 June 2018 Moving the embassy marks an indelible change in US posture and the way the US is perceived in the Middle East and by European partners. — Z. Byron Wolf, CNN, "Trump's new world order," 11 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perceive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Dictionary Entries near perceive
Statistics for perceive
Last Updated
3 Oct 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for perceive
The first known use of perceive was in the 14th century
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More Definitions for perceive
perceive
verb
English Language Learners Definition of perceive
: to notice or become aware of (something)
: to think of (someone or something) as being something stated
See the full definition for perceive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
perceive
verb
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Kids Definition of perceive
1 : to become aware of through the senses and especially through sight Perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them …— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz
2 : to recognize or realize I perceived a change in her attitude.
3 : to think of as The message was perceived as a threat.
perceive
transitive verb
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Medical Definition of perceive
: to become aware of through the senses
Other Words from perceive
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adjective
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adverb
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