visit

1 of 2

verb

vis·​it ˈvi-zət How to pronounce visit (audio)
visited ˈvi-zə-təd How to pronounce visit (audio)
ˈviz-təd
 ; visiting ˈvi-zə-tiŋ How to pronounce visit (audio)
ˈviz-tiŋ
Synonyms of visitnext

transitive verb

1
a
: to pay a call on as an act of friendship or courtesy
b
: to reside with temporarily as a guest
c
: to go to see or stay at (a place) for a particular purpose (such as business or sightseeing)
d
: to go or come officially to inspect or oversee
a bishop visiting his parishes
2
: to go to see in order to comfort or help
3
a(1)
: afflict
visited his people with distempers— Tobias Smollett
(2)
: inflict, impose
visited his wrath upon them
b
: avenge
visited the sins of the fathers upon the children
c
: to present itself to or come over momentarily
was visited by a strange notion
d
archaic : comfort
—used of the Deity
visit us with Thy salvation— Charles Wesley

intransitive verb

1
: to make a visit
also : to make frequent or regular visits
2
: chat, converse
enjoys visiting with the neighbors

visit

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a short stay : call
b
: a brief residence as a guest
c
: an extended stay : sojourn
2
: a journey to and stay or short sojourn at a place
3
: an official or professional call or tour : visitation
4
: the act of a naval officer in boarding a merchant ship on the high seas in exercise of the right of search

Synonyms

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of visit in a Sentence

Verb She is visiting her aunt in New York. When are you coming to visit? He is visiting a client in Phoenix.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The child is not a resident of the neighborhood and was visiting his grandmother at the time of the incident. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025 Customers with questions about the recall can visit the Chomps recall page or contact Idaho Smokehouse Partners at 208-227-5282 or email media@idahosmokehousepartners.com. — Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
Next for La Jolla are visits to Bishop’s at 4:45 p.m. March 12 and Mount Carmel at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 14. — Ben Ali H Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025 Starmer has thus far brushed aside calls for the visit to be canceled, while Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the status of the invitation, the New York Times said. — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for visit

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French visiter, from Latin visitare, frequentative of visere to go to see, frequentative of vidēre to see

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3d

Noun

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of visit was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing visit

Rhymes for visit

See All Rhymes for visit

Browse Nearby Words

visit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Visit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visit. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

visit

1 of 2 verb
vis·​it ˈviz-ət How to pronounce visit (audio)
visited ˈviz-ət-əd How to pronounce visit (audio)
ˈviz-təd
 ; visiting ˈviz-ət-iŋ How to pronounce visit (audio)
ˈviz-tiŋ
1
: to go to see in order to comfort or help
visit the sick
2
a
: to pay a call upon as an act of friendship or courtesy
b
: to go or come to see on business
c
: to live with for a time as a guest
3
: to go to for pleasure
visit the zoo
4
: to make a visit or frequent or regular visits
5
: chat entry 1 sense 1
enjoys visiting with the neighbors

visit

2 of 2 noun
1
: a brief stay : call
a visit with friends
2
: a stay as a guest
a weekend visit
3
: a journey to and brief stay at a place especially for a particular purpose
a visit to the museum
4
: an official or professional call (as of a doctor to treat a patient)
Etymology

Verb

Middle English visiten "to go to a person especially to give comfort," from early French visiter (same meaning), derived from Latin visere "to go to see," from vidēre "to see" — related to vision

Medical Definition

visit

1 of 2 transitive verb
vis·​it ˈviz-ət How to pronounce visit (audio)
visited ˈviz-ət-əd, ˈviz-təd How to pronounce visit (audio) ; visiting ˈviz-ət-iŋ, ˈviz-tiŋ How to pronounce visit (audio)
1
: to go to attend (a patient)
2
: to go to see (as a physician or dentist) for professional service

visit

2 of 2 noun
1
: a professional call (as by a physician to treat a patient)
2
: a call upon a professional person (as a physician or dentist) for consultation or treatment
make regular visits to your dentist

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