What does "see" mean?
See: Specifically: (a) The seat of episcopal power; a diocese; the jurisdiction of a bishop; as, the see of New York. (b) The seat of an archibishop; a province or jurisdiction of an archibishop; as, an archiepiscopal see. (c) The seat, place, or office of the pope, or Roman pontiff; as, the papal see. (d) The pope or his court at Rome; as, to appeal to the see of Rome. Apostolic see. See under Apostolic.
Additional senses
- 2.To perceive by the eye; to have knowledge of the existence and apparent qualities of by the organs of sight; to behold; to descry; to view. I will new turn aside, and see this great sight. Ex. iii.
- 3.2. To perceive by mental vision; to form an idea or conception of; to note with the mind; to observe; to discern; to distinguish; to understand; to comprehend; to ascertain. Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren. Gen. xxxvii.
- 4.Jesus saw that he answered discreetly. Mark xii.
- 5.Who 's so gross That seeth not this palpable device Shak.
- 6.To follow with the eyes, or as with the eyes; to watch; to regard attentivelly; to look after. Shak. I had a mind to see him out, and therefore did not care for centradicting him. Addison.
- 7.To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit; as, to go to see a friend. And Samuel came no more to see Saul untill the day of his death. 1 Sam. xv.
- 8.5. To fall in with; to have intercourse or communication with; hence, to have knowledge or experience of; as, to see military service. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Ps. xc.
- 9.Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. John viii.
- 10.Improvement in visdom and prudence by seeing men. Locke.
- 11.To accompany in person; to escort; to wait upon; as, to see one home; to see one aboard the cars. God you (him, or me, etc.) see, God keep you (him, me, etc.) in his sight; God protect you. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To see (anything) out, to see (it) to the end; to be present at, or attend, to the end. -- To see stars, to see flashes of light, like stars; -- sometimes the result of concussion of the head. [Colloq.] -- To see (one) through, to help, watch, or guard (one) to the end of a course or an undertaking.
- 12.To have the power of sight, or of perceiving by the proper organs; to possess or employ the sense of vision; as, he sees distinctly. Whereas I was blind, now I see. John ix.
- 13.2. Figuratively: To have intellectual apprehension; to perceive; to know; to understand; to discern; -- often followed by a preposition, as through, or into. For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. John ix.
- 14.Many sagacious persons will find us out, . . . and see through all our fine pretensions. Tillotson.
- 15.To be attentive; to take care; to give heed; -- generally with to; as, to see to the house. See that ye fall not out by the way. Gen. xiv.
- 16.Note: Let me see, Let us see, are used to express consideration, or to introduce the particular consideration of a subject, or some scheme or calculation. Cassio's a proper man, let me see now, -To get his place. Shak. Note: See is sometimes used in the imperative for look, or behold. "See. see! upon the banks of Boyne he stands." Halifax. To see about a thing, to pay attention to it; to consider it. -- To see on, to look at. [Obs.] "She was full more blissful on to see." Chaucer. -- To see to. (a) To look at; to behold; to view. [Obs.] "An altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to" Josh. xxii.
- 17.(b) To take care about; to look after; as, to see to a fire.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/answers/what-does-see-mean
- Steward: Jason Burns
- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00