VIEW


Meaning of VIEW in English

I. view 1 S1 W1 /vjuː/ BrE AmE noun

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ view , ↑ overview , ↑ preview , ↑ review , ↑ viewer , ↑ reviewer ; verb : ↑ view , ↑ preview , ↑ review ]

[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: veue , vue , from veeir , voir 'to see' , from Latin videre ; ⇨ ↑ video 3 ]

1 . OPINION [countable] what you think or believe about something SYN opinion

view on/about

What’s your view on the subject?

view that

Their view is that competition is good for business.

In my view, the country needs a change of government.

⇨ ↑ point of view (2)

REGISTER

In everyday English, people usually say I think ... rather than In my view ... , and What do you think? rather than What is your view? :

What do you think about her new boyfriend?

2 . WAY OF CONSIDERING [countable usually singular] a way of thinking about or understanding something

view of

Mum’s view of the situation was different to mine.

optimistic/pessimistic/balanced etc view

a realistic view of human nature

traditional views of religion

You need to have a clear view (=a definite idea) of the kind of book you want to write.

take a dim/poor view of something (=disapprove)

She took a pretty dim view of his behaviour.

3 . SIGHT [uncountable and countable] what you are able to see or whether you can see it

view of

We’d like a room with a view of the sea.

good/bad/wonderful etc view

The house has wonderful views over the valley.

be in view/come into view

Suddenly the pyramids came into view.

disappear/vanish/be hidden from view

The gun was hidden from view behind the door.

Fran hit him in full view of all the guests (=where they could see it clearly) .

During an eclipse, the moon blocks our view of the sun (=stop us from seeing it) .

4 .

SCENERY [countable] the whole area that you can see from somewhere, especially when it is very beautiful or impressive:

From the top you get a panoramic view of the city.

A huge nuclear reactor now spoils the view.

5 . PICTURE [countable] a photograph or picture showing a beautiful or interesting place

view of

The book contains over fifty scenic views of Cambridge.

6 . CHANCE TO SEE SOMETHING [uncountable and countable] an occasion or time when it is possible for people to see something such as an art show

view of

A private view of the Summer Exhibition will be held.

on view (=being shown to the public)

The painting is currently on view at the Tate.

7 . in view of something formal used to introduce the reason for a decision or action:

In view of his conduct, the club has decided to suspend him.

8 . with a view to (doing) something because you are planning to do something in the future:

We bought the house with a view to retiring there.

9 . in view formal having something in your mind as an aim

with this end/object/aim etc in view

Defence was all-important, and castles were designed with this end in view.

What sort of job did you have in view?

10 . take the long view (of something) British English to think about the effect that something will have in the future rather than what happens now

• • •

COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)

■ verbs

▪ have/hold a view (=have an opinion)

He has very left-wing views.

▪ take the view that ... (=have a particular view)

The Government took the view that the law did not need to be changed.

▪ express a view (=say what you think about something)

This is a chance for you to express your views.

▪ give your view (=say what you think)

He did not hesitate to give his own views on the subject.

▪ share a view (=agree with it)

This view is not shared by his colleagues.

▪ support a view (=believe or help to prove that it is right)

There are many people who would support his views.

▪ hear a view ( also listen to a view )

a chance to hear people’s views on a range of different subjects

▪ tell somebody your view ( also let somebody have your view )

We want you to tell us your views.

▪ sb’s view changes

Your view about these things changes as you get older.

■ adjectives

▪ political views

His political views have not changed.

▪ sb’s personal view

My own personal view is that they’re being optimistic.

▪ widely-held view

There is a widely-held view that young people eat too much junk food.

▪ the general view (=what most people think)

The general view was that he had done well.

▪ strong views

She has strong views on education.

▪ strongly held/deeply held views (=strong views that someone is unwilling to change)

He is known for his strongly held views on modern art.

▪ different views

Different people have different views about this subject.

▪ conflicting/opposing views (=completely different)

There are conflicting views about the best way to teach reading.

▪ extreme

a politician who has extreme views on immigration

▪ moderate

His views have recently become more moderate.

▪ outrageous

The chairman said that Mr McNeil's views were outrageous.

▪ traditional

traditional views about women

▪ old-fashioned

Some of his views now sound very old-fashioned.

▪ popular/unpopular

This view has become increasingly popular in society.

|

It’s now a rather unpopular view.

▪ right-wing/left-wing

the students’ extreme left-wing views

■ phrases

▪ be of the same view (=agree)

They were all of the same view.

▪ be of differing/different views (=disagree)

They get on well, though they are of differing views on politics.

▪ an exchange of views (=when people say what they think, especially when they disagree)

There was a frank exchange of views at the meeting.

• • •

COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 3 & 4)

■ verbs

▪ have/get a view of something

She had a clear view of the street from her window.

▪ enjoy/admire the view

They sat enjoying the view down the valley.

▪ take in the view (=look at and enjoy it)

Why don’t you walk along the coastline, taking in the breathtaking views?

▪ block sb’s view

A pillar blocked my view of the stage.

▪ obscure the view (=make it difficult to see)

A wall of mist obscured the view.

▪ spoil the view (=make it look bad)

Some local residents think the wind turbines spoil the view.

▪ command a view ( also afford a view formal ) (=if a place commands or affords a view, you can see that view from there)

The room commanded an excellent view of the river.

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + view

▪ wonderful/magnificent/spectacular/breathtaking

There are breathtaking views from the top of the hill.

▪ a good view

From here we get a good view of the fortress.

▪ a sea/ocean view (=a view of the sea)

I’d like a room with a sea view.

▪ a panoramic view (=when you can see in many directions)

Everyone who made it to the summit was rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view.

▪ a bird’s-eye view (=a view from high above something)

The top of the bell tower in the square gives a bird’s-eye view of Venice.

■ phrases

▪ be in view

From the window the car was clearly in view.

▪ in full view of somebody

He took the money in full view of everyone.

▪ come into view

Suddenly the pyramids came into view.

▪ disappear from view

She disappeared from view around the corner.

▪ be hidden from view

The inside of the house was hidden from view by curtains.

■ COMMON ERRORS

► Do not say ' watch the view '. Say enjoy the view , take in the view , or admire the view .

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ view the area you can see from a window or place, especially when it is beautiful:

The hotel has a view of the Colosseum.

|

There are great views of the Himalayas.

▪ panorama an impressive view of a very large area that stretches a long way across in front of you:

a panorama of snow-covered hills and mountains

|

From the top, there is a breathtaking panorama across to the southern slopes of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain.

▪ vista written a view of a large area of beautiful scenery:

The road around the island offers some spectacular vistas.

|

On a sparkling spring day, the vista is quite superb.

|

In front, a simple porch offered a spectacular vista of coconut-fringed beach, lagoon, and open sea beyond.

▪ scene what you see in a place, especially when people are moving around and doing things:

His paintings are mainly of local scenes.

|

a peaceful village scene

▪ sight something that you see, especially something very impressive or surprising:

The mountain is a magnificent sight, soaring up from the carpet of purple heather at its base.

|

It was an amazing sight. I had never seen elephants in the wild before.

|

They were met with the sight of riot police shaking hands with the demonstrators.

II. view 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ view , ↑ overview , ↑ preview , ↑ review , ↑ viewer , ↑ reviewer ; verb : ↑ view , ↑ preview , ↑ review ]

1 . to think about something or someone in a particular way SYN see

view something as something

The law should be viewed as a way of meeting certain social goals.

view something from a ... perspective/standpoint

It’s an issue that can be viewed from several perspectives.

view something with caution/suspicion/scepticism etc

The local people viewed newcomers with suspicion.

2 . formal to look at something, especially because it is beautiful or you are interested in it

view something from something

The mountain is best viewed from the north side.

Thousands of tourists come to view the gardens every year.

view a house/an apartment/a property (=go to see a house etc that you are interested in buying)

3 . formal to watch a television programme, film etc:

an opportunity to view the film before it goes on general release

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ consider verb [transitive not in progressive] formal to have an opinion about someone or something after thinking carefully about them:

We do not consider this film suitable for young children.

|

She is considered to be one of the finest pianists of her generation.

▪ see verb [transitive not in progressive] to think about someone or something in a particular way, or as being a particular kind of person or thing:

Having a child makes you see things differently.

|

America was seen as the land of opportunity.

|

The country sees itself as a bridge between East and West.

▪ regard/view verb [transitive] to think about someone or something in a particular way, or as being a particular kind of person or thing. Regard/view are a little more formal than see :

She regards herself more as an entertainer than a singer.

|

Many people in the industry viewed him with suspicion.

▪ perceive verb [transitive often passive] formal to think about someone or something in a particular way, or as being a particular kind of person or thing:

Historically, nursing has been perceived as a job for women, but things have changed now.

|

The group were perceived to have little real talent.

|

Do other people perceive us as we perceive ourselves?

▪ think of somebody/something as ( also look on somebody/something as ) to think that someone or something is a particular type of person or thing:

He looked on his job as a welcome relief from the problems at home.

|

Even though he’s 18, his parents still think of him as a child.

|

I think of her more as a sister.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.