Synonyms notice

Synonyms

notice

note ▪ detect ▪ observe ▪ witness

These 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