Definitions for perception
pərˈsɛp ʃənper·cep·tion

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

1. percept, perception, perceptual experiencenoun

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

2. perceptionnoun

   a way of conceiving something

   "Luther had a new perception of the Bible"

3. perceptionnoun

   the process of perceiving

4. perceptionnoun

   knowledge gained by perceiving

   "a man admired for the depth of his perception"

5. sensing, perceptionnoun

   becoming aware of something via the senses

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. perceptionnoun

   Conscious understanding of something.

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

2. perceptionnoun

   Vision (ability)

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

3. perceptionnoun

   Acuity

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

4. perceptionnoun

   (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. Perceptionnoun

   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. Perceptionnoun

   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. Perceptionnoun

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

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

4. Perceptionnoun

   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  

Matched Categories

1. • Basic Cognitive Process
   • Cognition
   • Conceptualization
   • Representation
   • Sensory Activity

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

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Stephen Breyer:

   Structural alteration motivated by the perception of political influence can only feed that latter perception, further eroding that trust.

2. R. A. Salvatore, Siege of Darkness:

   To any intelligent being, there is no emotion more important than hope. Individually or collectively, we must hope that the future will be better than the past, that our offspring, and theirs after them, will be a bit closer to an ideal society, whatever our perception of that might be... It is at those times when we feel we are contributing to that ultimate end... we feel true elation.

3. David Greenfield:

   Just like drinking and driving, people have a very poor perception of impact, so, in other words, people will be doing their normal thing, they'll be driving and balancing their cell phone and drinking their coffee, and they'll say to you, and they'll mean it, that they are not impacted ... but actually we know from a lot of data and research that that is absolutely not true.

4. Jeb Bush:

   In politics, when there is a validation of what the perception is, it is bad news.

5. Joseph Wu:

   As a result of this perception, a lot of kids pick up e-cigarette smoking, there's so many kids who are smoking e-cigarettes. And these kids are going to become adults. And these adults can become elderly patients that I as a cardiologist will take care of later on.

Images & Illustrations of perception

Popularity rank by frequency of use