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
The blueprint was widely perceived as pro-Russian for its demand that Ukraine surrender territories in the east of the country and cap the size of its military.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2025
But the people running Time Warner perceived his influence.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
But after that, the Academy changed its rules to eliminate from competition any documentary perceived as being more in the realm of episodic rather than a single, unified film.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025
However, a park redesignation does serve political purposes and affects how visitors perceive that park.
—Seth T. Kannarr, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perceive
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David Brennan, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2025
But the people running Time Warner perceived his influence.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
But after that, the Academy changed its rules to eliminate from competition any documentary perceived as being more in the realm of episodic rather than a single, unified film.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025
However, a park redesignation does serve political purposes and affects how visitors perceive that park.
—Seth T. Kannarr, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 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 10 Dec. 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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