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
This can't really be the way anyone perceived the reasonable idea of giving players their fair share of the profits turning out.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
Historically, securely locking or temporarily transferring one’s guns was perceived by owners as a hindrance to quick access for home defense.
—Russell Lemle, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Being homeless was perceived, by themselves and by others, as an individual failure, the result of a series of poor choices, ignoring the fact that a tech boom had priced many people out of their homes and a drug epidemic had ravaged many parts of the city.
—Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
Dispute creates major anxiety What started out as a social media post on Saturday by Miller’s wife over the weekend quickly turned into something that Denmark now perceives as a real threat.
—Stefanie Dazio, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for perceive
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Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
Historically, securely locking or temporarily transferring one’s guns was perceived by owners as a hindrance to quick access for home defense.
—Russell Lemle, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Being homeless was perceived, by themselves and by others, as an individual failure, the result of a series of poor choices, ignoring the fact that a tech boom had priced many people out of their homes and a drug epidemic had ravaged many parts of the city.
—Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
Dispute creates major anxiety What started out as a social media post on Saturday by Miller’s wife over the weekend quickly turned into something that Denmark now perceives as a real threat.
—Stefanie Dazio, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for perceive
Cite this Entry
“Perceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perceive. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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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