What does perceive mean?
Word: Perceive
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Perceive means to notice something, or to understand or think of it in a particular way.
Synonyms: notice, sense, observe
Antonyms: overlook, miss
Word origin: Comes from the Latin verb percipere, meaning to seize or understand, through Old French.
How do you spell perceive?
Syllables: per - ceive
Tricky part: Students follow the i-before-e habit and write the pair the wrong way round; in this word the e goes in front.
Watch out for: percieve, percieved
Memory tip: The e leads the pair here, exactly as it does in receipt and in ceiling.
Perceive in a sentence
Example 1: I perceived a slight change in her voice when the topic came up.
Example 2: Visitors often perceive Mumbai as a city that never rests.
Example 3: A good coach can perceive a player's tiredness long before the score shows it.
Fun Fact
Optical illusions work because the brain perceives more than the eyes really see: it fills gaps and corrects shapes before we are aware of it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Tally
One letter is missing from each word. How many of these words need the letter e?
prceive, mrchant, sandwch, lantrn, dolphn
a) 4
b) 3
c) 1
d) 2
Show answer
b) 3. Perceive, merchant and lantern need e; sandwich and dolphin need i.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Many animals can perseive sounds too faint for human ears, and bats find their way in complete darknes.
a) perseive and darknes
b) only darknes
c) animals and faint
d) only perseive
Show answer
a) perseive and darknes. The s in perseive should be c, and darkness ends in a double s.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their synonyms:
1. perceive 2. ponder 3. relish a. enjoy b. reflect c. discern
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. To discern is to pick something out, to reflect is to think it over, and to enjoy a treat is to relish it.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
vieerpec
a) to catch a hint of something through sight or sound
b) to set money aside for use at a later time
c) to argue strongly against a plan or idea
d) to hand something over to another person
Show answer
a) to catch a hint of something through sight or sound. The eight letters rebuild perceive, a verb about what our senses and minds pick up.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If classmates perceive Anu as friendly, what does this tell you?
a) that is how she seems to them
b) she is the friendliest in school
c) they have known her for years
d) she has told them so herself
Show answer
a) that is how she seems to them
2. Which sense would you use to perceive a faint scent of jasmine?
a) sight
b) touch
c) hearing
d) smell
Show answer
d) smell
