- 1 [intransitive, transitive] to see or hear somebody/something; to become aware of somebody/something People were making fun of him but he didn't seem to notice. notice somebody/something The first thing I noticed about the room was the smell. notice (that)… I couldn’t help noticing (that) she was wearing a wig. notice how, what, etc… Did you notice how Rachel kept looking at her watch? notice somebody/something do something I noticed them come in. notice somebody/something doing something I didn't notice him leaving. Synonymsnoticenote detect observe witnessThese words all mean to see something, especially when you pay careful attention to it.notice to see, hear or become aware of somebody/something; to pay attention to somebody/something:The first thing I noticed about the room was the smell.note (rather formal) to notice or pay careful attention to something:Please note (that) the office will be closed on Monday. This word is very common in business English:Note that the prices are inclusive of VAT.detect to discover or notice something, especially something that is not easy to see, hear, etc:The tests are designed to detect the disease early.observe (formal) to see or notice somebody/something:Have you observed any changes lately? The police observed a man enter the bank.witness (rather formal) to see something happen:Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them.Patterns to notice/note/detect/observe that/how/what/where/who… to notice/observe/witness something happen/somebody do something Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbnot even, not really, barely, … verb + noticefail to, not appear to, not seem to, … phrasescan’t help but notice something, can’t help noticing something, the first thing I, he, etc. noticed, … See full entry pay attention
- 2 [transitive] notice somebody/something to pay attention to somebody/something She wears those strange clothes just to get herself noticed. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbnot even, not really, barely, … verb + noticefail to, not appear to, not seem to, … phrasescan’t help but notice something, can’t help noticing something, the first thing I, he, etc. noticed, … See full entry Word Originlate Middle English (in sense (6) of the noun): from Old French, from Latin notitia ‘being known’, from notus ‘known’, past participle of noscere.Extra examples He didn’t seem to notice her. He noticed at once that something was wrong. I must go! I’ve only just noticed how late it is. My mother probably won’t even notice I’m gone. Nobody really noticed the changes. The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes. You couldn’t help noticing how his eyes kept following her. I couldn’t help noticing that she was wearing a wig. I didn’t notice him leaving. I noticed them come into the room. My husband hardly seems to notice me any more. Notice the way the bridge is supported by its suspension cables. People were making fun of him but he didn’t seem to notice.
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BrE BrE//ˈnəʊtɪs//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnoʊtɪs//
(not usually used in the progressive tenses)Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they notice BrE BrE//ˈnəʊtɪs//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnoʊtɪs//
he / she / it notices BrE BrE//ˈnəʊtɪsɪz//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnoʊtɪsɪz//
past simple noticed BrE BrE//ˈnəʊtɪst//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnoʊtɪst//
past participle noticed BrE BrE//ˈnəʊtɪst//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnoʊtɪst//
-ing form noticing BrE BrE//ˈnəʊtɪsɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ//
Check pronunciation: notice
