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 United States was perceived as the most corrupt it's been since 2012 in a watchdog group's annual index of nations around the globe.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
The result has been nothing less than a sea change in how SJSU’s economic impact is perceived.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
But what if police perceived there to be a threat, but there actually isn’t one?
—Aiden Lesley, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2025
In a telephone interview Friday, Goble said the resolution seeks to protect police officers who are doing their job from having their credential suspended by the state if they are perceived to have assisted ICE while doing their duty, such as chasing someone who ran a red light.
—Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for perceive 
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Avery Lotz, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
The result has been nothing less than a sea change in how SJSU’s economic impact is perceived.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
But what if police perceived there to be a threat, but there actually isn’t one?
—Aiden Lesley, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2025
In a telephone interview Friday, Goble said the resolution seeks to protect police officers who are doing their job from having their credential suspended by the state if they are perceived to have assisted ICE while doing their duty, such as chasing someone who ran a red light.
—Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for perceive
Dictionary Entries Near perceive
Cite this Entry
“Perceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perceive. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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