Definition of see

What does the word see mean?

• part of speech: verb intransitive

  (saw, seen). Have or exercise the power of discerning objects with the eyes (sees best at night; cannot s. till the ninth day; s. into millstone, through brick wall, fig. of preternatural acuteness of intelligence; seeing is believing, one\'s own observation is the best evidence; s. double adv.; seeing ye shall s. & shall not perceive; s. through fig., not be deceived by, penetrate, detect nature of); descry, discern by sight, observe, look at or over, (come where we cannot be seen; s. the light, be born or alive; things seen, not imaginary &c.; s.visions, be a seer &c.; s. things, have hallucinations &c.; s. stars, have dancing lights before eyes from blow on head; was seen to fall or falling; saw him fall or falling; s. the back, be quit of visitor, invader, &c.; cannot see my way; s. one\'s way to do or to doing, manage, contrive; s. the sights, town, &c., as sight seer; s. over house &c., go round examining; s. thing done, supervise doing of it); discern mentally, attain to comprehension of, apprehend, excogitate, ascertain by search or inquiry or reflection, consider, (cannot s. a or the joke, point; do you s. what I mean?, also s.? ellipt. in same sense colloq.; you s. parenth., as you no doubt understand, also=I must explain; as far as I can s., to the best of my understanding or belief; must s. what can be done; do not s. the good, fun, advantage, &c., of doing; please s. whether it is there, where it is; do not s. how to do it; you s. what it is to have faith), (part. as prep. or conj.) considering or inasmuch as (seeing that you do not know it yourself; s. no other course is open to us); experience, go through more or less observantly, have presented to one\'s attention, contemplate& abstain from interference with, (shall never s.death; have seen fire reigns; s. life, gain experience of men& manners esp. by dissipation &c.; so perh. well seen archaic, accomplished in, as intr. p.p.; have seen the day when, in drawing attention to past state of affairs; never saw such doings; has seen service, is expert or worn; has seen better, or its &c. best, days, has declined; you will not s. me shot like a dog?; s. person or thing blowed or damned, before one will do what he asks or trouble about it; s. thing through or out, not abandon undertaking before it is completed); grant interview or be at home to, pay visit to, secure interview with, (refused to s. me; can I s. you on business?; when will you come& s. us?; must s. the lawyer, doctor, &c.; can s. you for five minutes); call up picture of, imagine, (cannot s. myself submitting to it); recognize as tolerable, consent willingly to, (do not s. being made use of); escort, conduct, stand by& countenance, (may I s. you home?; mind you s. him off the premises; saw him off by the Mauretania; will you s. me through the difficulty?); take view of, have opinion, (I s. life, things, it, differently now; s. good, consider it right or expedient to do; s. eye to eye); make provision, take care, give attention, make sure, (s. that it is done; s. you don\'t catch your foot; s. to one\'s business; will s. about it, & see below; s. after, take care of; s. to it that, take care that); make examination, hold inquiry, (must s. into it); reflect, take time to consider, (esp. let me s., appeal for time to think before making answer or giving particulars, or confession that coming statement may need reconsideration; will s. about it, form for declining to act at once, & see above); (Gambling &c.) accept or take on (challenge to bet or competition, person offering it); s.-bright, the plant clary (w. ref. to use as eye-salve founded on pop. etym. of clary as=clear-eye). Hence seer n. [old English]

• part of speech: singular

  15 &c., look at, vide; Is., now that you have explained I understand; I see that, I find from the newspapers that; s. red (slang), s. things as blood-coloured, be filled with homicidal fury or lust for blood.

• part of speech: noun

  What is committed to (arch) bishop, episcopal unit, (usu. the s. of Norwich, Canterbury, Rome, &c.; Holy S., S. of Rome, the Papacy or Papal court; cf. bishopric, diocese; several new ss. were created). [old French]