Definitions for perception
pərˈsɛp ʃənper·cep·tion

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. percept, perception, perceptual experience(noun)

   the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept

2. perception(noun)

   a way of conceiving something

   "Luther had a new perception of the Bible"

3. perception(noun)

   the process of perceiving

4. perception(noun)

   knowledge gained by perceiving

   "a man admired for the depth of his perception"

5. sensing, perception(noun)

   becoming aware of something via the senses

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. perception(Noun)

   Conscious understanding of something.

   Etymology: From perception, from perceptio, from percipere, past participle perceptus; see perceive.

2. perception(Noun)

   Vision (ability)

   Etymology: From perception, from perceptio, from percipere, past participle perceptus; see perceive.

3. perception(Noun)

   Acuity

   Etymology: From perception, from perceptio, from percipere, past participle perceptus; see perceive.

4. perception(Noun)

   (cognition) That which is detected by the five senses; not necessarily understood (imagine looking through fog, trying to understand if you see a small dog or a cat); also that which is detected within consciousness as a thought, intuition, deduction, etc.

   Etymology: From perception, from perceptio, from percipere, past participle perceptus; see perceive.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Perception(noun)

   the act of perceiving; cognizance by the senses or intellect; apperhension by the bodily organs, or by the mind, of what is presented to them; discernment; apperhension; cognition

   Etymology: [L. perceptio: cf. F. perception. See Perceive.]

2. Perception(noun)

   the faculty of perceiving; the faculty, or peculiar part, of man's constitution by which he has knowledge through the medium or instrumentality of the bodily organs; the act of apperhending material objects or qualities through the senses; -- distinguished from conception

   Etymology: [L. perceptio: cf. F. perception. See Perceive.]

3. Perception(noun)

   the quality, state, or capability, of being affected by something external; sensation; sensibility

   Etymology: [L. perceptio: cf. F. perception. See Perceive.]

4. Perception(noun)

   an idea; a notion

   Etymology: [L. perceptio: cf. F. perception. See Perceive.]

Freebase(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Perception

   Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs. For example, vision involves light striking the retinas of the eyes, smell is mediated by odor molecules and hearing involves pressure waves. Perception is not the passive receipt of these signals, but can be shaped by learning, memory, and expectation. Perception involves these "top-down" effects as well as the "bottom-up" process of processing sensory input. The "bottom-up" processing is basically low-level information that's used to build up higher-level information. The "top-down" processing refers to a person's concept and expectations that influence perception. Perception depends on complex functions of the nervous system, but subjectively seems mostly effortless because this processing happens outside conscious awareness. Since the rise of experimental psychology in the late 19th Century, psychology's understanding of perception has progressed by combining a variety of techniques. Psychophysics measures the effect on perception of varying the physical qualities of the input. Sensory neuroscience studies the brain mechanisms underlying perception. Perceptual systems can also be studied computationally, in terms of the information they process. Perceptual issues in philosophy include the extent to which sensory qualities such as sounds, smells or colors exist in objective reality rather than the mind of the perceiver.

U.S. National Library of Medicine(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Perception

   The process by which the nature and meaning of sensory stimuli are recognized and interpreted.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. perception

   To perceive with the senses.

   She was well able to shift her perception as she navigated her way through life.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 19, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'perception' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4237

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'perception' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4370

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'perception' in Nouns Frequency: #1302

How to pronounce perception?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say perception in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of perception in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of perception in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of perception in a Sentence

1. Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic:

   I disagree with that perception, but we're now going for an option that targets only local pension funds to run the motorways. Part of it will be offered to citizens as well, this way we will get less money, but it will be a completely Croatian story.

2. Kim Jung-woo:

   As there are fewer jobs, intensifying competition to secure those seems to be appearing in the college prep process, the widespread perception among Korean society that people can work only if they graduate university is the fundamental cause of this excessive education fever.

3. Debasish Mridha, M.D.:

   Happiness is an inner perception, not an outer realistic conception.

4. Michael Blackwell:

   I'm very concerned that the profession is poised to lose public trust, i don't think we can gain public trust if the perception exists of a conflict of interest.

5. Raymond Tsang:

   They have a strong enough reputation no matter where they're made. They will have to make sure they don't ruin that perception with any quality issues.

Images & Illustrations of perception

Popularity rank by frequency of use