vision
Americannoun
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the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
-
the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.
prophetic vision;
the vision of an entrepreneur.
- Synonyms:
- discernment, perception
-
an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency.
a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision.
-
something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience.
The vision revealed its message.
- Synonyms:
- chimera, phantasm, apparition
-
a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.
visions of wealth and glory.
-
something seen; an object of sight.
-
a scene, person, etc., of extraordinary beauty.
The sky was a vision of red and pink.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the act, faculty, or manner of perceiving with the eye; sight
-
-
the image on a television screen
-
( as modifier )
vision control
-
-
the ability or an instance of great perception, esp of future developments
a man of vision
-
a mystical or religious experience of seeing some supernatural event, person, etc
the vision of St John of the Cross
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that which is seen, esp in such a mystical experience
-
(sometimes plural) a vivid mental image produced by the imagination
he had visions of becoming famous
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a person or thing of extraordinary beauty
-
the stated aims and objectives of a business or other organization
verb
Synonym Usage
See dream.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of vision
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin vīsiōn-, stem of vīsiō “sight,” literally “a seeing,” equivalent to vīs(us) “seen,” past participle of vidēre “to see” + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you are getting your eyes checked, a doctor is checking on your vision — or your ability to see. But if you have visions of unicorns romping over rainbows, that's a whole other issue that the eye doctor can't address. The noun vision describes how well you can see, but it can also refer to things you may see, but that aren't physically there. Sometimes people claim to have religious visions of God, angels, the Virgin Mary, and so on. The word can also be used to describe something that is lovely: "The bride was a vision in white."
Vocabulary lists containing vision
Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy
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"We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" by Emily Dickinson
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Physics - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was powered by an army of individual investors who bought into Musk’s moonshot vision of putting data centers in space to support the rise of artificial intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at asset manager Wealth Club said the share price jump was "indicative of huge interest in Elon Musk's vision".
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
Because of that popular campaign, a portion of the “Buffy” fandom thought of Giles as a smokeshow on top of appreciating his vision of what being the only adult in the room looks like.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
All that’s needed to realize this vision of an Eastside mecca is patience and money.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
Unless she really had had a vision of the future as she lay back in her chair, her eyes half closed.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
