see
Other forms: seen; seeing; sees
See is what your eyes do. However, this word has loads of meanings: you can see a shrink, which means you're consulting a psychiatrist; or you can be seeing your high school sweetheart, which means you're dating him.
See usually means passively observing, while look, which is also something you do with your eyes, is more active and intentional. When someone says, "The president will see you now," the president is sitting there passively, waiting for you to be shown in. You can say "I see," to mean "I understand; I get it." Or you can look into your crystal ball and see into the future, in which case you'd be called a seer.
Definitions of see
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perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight“You have to be a good observer to see all the details”“Can you see the bird in that tree?”“He is blind--he cannot see”
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types:
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glimpse
catch a glimpse of or see briefly
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catch a glimpse, catch sight, get a look
see something for a brief time
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behold, lay eyes on
see with attention
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type of:
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comprehend, perceive
become aware of through the senses
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glimpse
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observe, check out, and look over carefully or inspect“I must see your passport before you can enter the country”
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synonyms:
examine
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types:
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search
subject to a search
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x-ray
examine by taking x-rays
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candle
examine eggs for freshness by holding them against a light
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autopsy
perform an autopsy on a dead body; do a post-mortem
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auscultate
examine by auscultation
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survey
look over carefully or inspect
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glance over, rake, run down, scan, skim
examine hastily
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scan
examine minutely or intensely
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peruse
examine or consider with attention and in detail
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scrutinise, scrutinize, size up, take stock
to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
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look, search
search or seek
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inspect
look over carefully
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check
make an examination or investigation
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go over, review, survey
hold a review (of troops)
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hunt
search (an area) for prey
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raid
search for something needed or desired
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frisk
search as for concealed weapons by running the hands rapidly over the clothing and through the pockets
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strip-search
search (someone) for weapons or drugs by having the person remove their clothes
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scan
make a wide, sweeping search of
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go, rifle
go through in search of something; search through someone's belongings in an unauthorized way
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rummage
search haphazardly
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comb, ransack
search thoroughly
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glass
scan (game in the forest) with binoculars
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flick, flip, leaf, riff, riffle, thumb
look through a book or other written material
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prospect
search for something desirable
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perambulate
make an official inspection on foot of (the bounds of a property)
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case
look over, usually with the intention to rob
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vet
examine carefully
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overlook
watch over
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horn in, intrude, nose, poke, pry
search or inquire in a meddlesome way
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screen, test
test or examine for the presence of disease or infection
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countercheck
check a second time
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breathalyse, breathalyze
test someone's alcohol level in his blood by means of a breathalyzer
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delve
search for something in a receptacle or container
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trawl
search or sift through in order to find something
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see or watch“This program will be seen all over the world”“see a movie”
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types:
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visualise, visualize
view the outline of by means of an X-ray
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spectate
be a spectator in a sports event
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preview
watch (a movie or play) before it is released to the general public
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preview
see or inspect in a preliminary way or in advance
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image
render visible, as by means of MRI
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type of:
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watch
look attentively
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go to see a place, as for entertainment
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see and understand, have a good eye“The artist must first learn to see”
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Synonyms:
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realise, realize, understand
perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
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realise, realize, understand
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observe as if with an eye
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come together“I'll probably see you at the meeting”“How nice to see you again!”
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synonyms:
come across, encounter, meet, run across, run into
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assemble, foregather, forgather, gather, meet
collect in one place
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assemble, foregather, forgather, gather, meet
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go to see for professional or business reasons
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go to see for a social visit
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receive as a specified guest
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date regularly; have a steady relationship with
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perceive (an idea or situation) mentally“Now I see!”“I just can't see your point”
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synonyms:
realise, realize, understand
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envision, fancy, figure, image, picture, project, visualise, visualize
imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind
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types:
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perceive
become conscious of
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appreciate, take account
be fully aware of; realize fully
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sense, smell, smell out
become aware of not through the senses but instinctively
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envision, fancy, figure, image, picture, project, visualise, visualize
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imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind“I can't see him on horseback!”“I can see what will happen”“I can see a risk in this strategy”
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realise, realize, understand
perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
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visualise, visualize
form a mental picture of something that is invisible or abstract
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type of:
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conceive of, envisage, ideate, imagine
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
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realise, realize, understand
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deem to be“I don't see the situation quite as negatively as you do”
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expect
consider reasonable or due
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receive
regard favorably or with disapproval
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reconsider
consider again; give new consideration to; usually with a view to changing
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reconsider
consider again (a bill) that had been voted upon before, with a view to altering it
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include
consider as part of something
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consider
regard or treat with consideration, respect, and esteem
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call
consider or regard as being
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like
feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard
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relativise, relativize
consider or treat as relative
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identify
consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else
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favor, favour
consider as the favorite
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abstract
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
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reify
consider an abstract concept to be real
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idealise, idealize
consider or render as ideal
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deem, hold, take for, view as
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
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esteem, prise, prize, respect, value
regard highly; think much of
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disesteem, disrespect
have little or no respect for; hold in contempt
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make
consider as being
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capitalise, capitalize
consider expenditures as capital assets rather than expenses
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appreciate, prize, treasure, value
hold dear
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do justice
show due and full appreciation
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count
include as if by counting
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colligate, subsume
consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle
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hypostatise, hypostatize
construe as a real existence, of a conceptual entity
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glamorize, glamourise, romanticise, romanticize
interpret romantically
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deify
consider as a god or godlike
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think the world of
esteem very highly
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undervalue
esteem lightly
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carry
include, as on a list
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fear, revere, reverence, venerate
regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of
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admire, look up to
feel admiration for
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recognise, recognize
show approval or appreciation of
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find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort“I want to see whether she speaks French”“See whether it works”
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ascertain, assure, check, control, ensure, insure, see to it
be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something
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ascertain, determine, find, find out
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
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types:
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test
determine the presence or properties of (a substance)
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ascertain, assure, check, control, ensure, insure, see to it
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get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally“I see that you have been promoted”
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types:
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get the goods
discover some bad or hidden information about
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wise up
get wise to
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catch, trip up
detect a blunder or misstep
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ascertain
learn or discover with certainty
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discover, find
make a discovery
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rake up
bring to light
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price
ascertain or learn the price of
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ferret, ferret out
search and discover through persistent investigation
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make sense of; assign a meaning to“What message do you see in this letter?”
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types:
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be amiss, misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misunderstand
interpret in the wrong way
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read between the lines
understand what is implied but not expressed on the surface
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mythicise, mythicize
interpret as a myth or in terms of mythology
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literalise, literalize
make literal
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spiritualise, spiritualize
give a spiritual meaning to; read in a spiritual sense
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reinterpret
assign a new or different meaning to
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allegorise, allegorize
interpret as an allegory
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read, take
interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression
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read
interpret something that is written or printed
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read, scan
obtain data from magnetic tapes
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draw out, educe, elicit, evoke, extract
deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning)
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misinterpret, misread
interpret wrongly
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anagram, anagrammatise, anagrammatize
read letters out of order to discover a hidden meaning
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reread
read anew; read again
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dip into
read selectively; read only certain passages from a text
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decipher, trace
read with difficulty
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misread
read or interpret wrongly
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skim, skim over
read superficially
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lip-read, lipread, speech-read
interpret by lipreading; of deaf people
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type of:
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understand
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
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deliberate or decide“See whether you can come tomorrow”“let's see--which movie should we see tonight?”
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type of:
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consider, debate, deliberate, moot, turn over
think about carefully; weigh
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consider, debate, deliberate, moot, turn over
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go or live through“he saw action in Viet Nam”
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synonyms:
experience, go through
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types:
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experience, know, live
have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations
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endure, suffer
undergo or be subjected to
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meet, suffer
undergo or suffer
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feel
undergo passive experience of:"We felt the effects of inflation"
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enjoy
have for one's benefit
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find, witness
perceive or be contemporaneous with
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taste
experience briefly
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live over, relive
experience again, often in the imagination
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catch
become aware of
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tolerate
have a tolerance for a poison or strong drug or pathogen or environmental condition
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die
suffer or face the pain of death
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type of:
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undergo
pass through
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perceive or be contemporaneous with“You'll see a lot of cheating in this school”“The 1960's saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions”“I want to see results”
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discover, find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up
get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
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find
perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place
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types:
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catch
become aware of
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type of:
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experience, go through
go or live through
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discover, find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up
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take charge of or deal with“Could you see about lunch?”
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minister
attend to the wants and needs of others
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tend
have care of or look after
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garden
work in the garden
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shepherd
tend as a shepherd, as of sheep or goats
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be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something“See that the curtains are closed”
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check, check off, mark, mark off, tick, tick off
put a check mark on or near or next to
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check
verify by consulting a source or authority
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ascertain, check, determine, find out, learn, watch
find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort
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control, verify
check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard
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proof, proofread
read for errors
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control
verify by using a duplicate register for comparison
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double-check
check once more to be absolutely sure
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cross-check
check out conflicting sources; crosscheck facts, for example
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cinch
make sure of
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card
ask someone for identification to determine whether he or she is old enough to consume liquor
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spot-check
pick out random samples for examination in order to ensure high quality
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cover
maintain a check on; especially by patrolling
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type of:
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verify
confirm the truth of
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check, check off, mark, mark off, tick, tick off
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accompany or escort
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match or meet
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the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
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examples:
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State of the Vatican City
the smallest sovereign state in the world; the see of the Pope (as the Bishop of Rome); home of the Pope and the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church; achieved independence from Italy in 1929
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type of:
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seat
a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised)
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State of the Vatican City
Pronunciation
US
/si/
UK
/si/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘see'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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