visit
A1Neutral, used across all registers from casual to formal.
Definition
Meaning
To go to and spend time with a person or at a place, often for a specific purpose such as socialising, sightseeing, or business.
1) To temporarily access or experience something (e.g., a website, a state of mind). 2) (formal) To inflict or befall (as in 'a plague visited upon them'). 3) (medical) A meeting with a doctor or professional.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a noun, 'visit' implies a temporary stay. The verb can be transitive ('visit a friend') or intransitive ('I came to visit'). In British English, it can imply a longer stay than in American usage.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In AmE, 'visit with someone' means to chat/socialise. In BrE, 'to visit *on* someone' (rare) can mean to inflict. BrE uses 'pay a visit to' more frequently as a set phrase.
Connotations
Slightly more formal in everyday BrE ('pop round'/'call on' are more casual). In AmE, 'visit' is the default, all-purpose term.
Frequency
Higher frequency in AmE due to being the primary verb for social calls and tourism.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
visit [sb/sth]visit [sb] [for a period]visit with [sb] (AmE)be visited by/upon [sb/sth] (formal)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “pay a visit to the little boys'/girls' room (euphemism)”
- “a flying visit”
- “visiting fireman (AmE, an important visitor)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A scheduled meeting at a client's premises: 'The sales rep has a site visit tomorrow.'
Academic
In research, observing or collecting data at a location: 'The anthropologist made several visits to the community.'
Everyday
Social calls and tourism: 'We'll visit my grandparents at the weekend.' / 'They plan to visit Rome.'
Technical
In computing, accessing a webpage: 'The site gets 10,000 unique visits per day.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- It was a lovely visit, thank you for having us.
- The Prime Minister's visit to the factory lasted two hours.
- I'm due for a dental visit next week.
American English
- We had a nice visit with my aunt.
- His website visit lasted three minutes.
- The team is on a road visit for three games.
verb
British English
- We must visit the new exhibition at the Tate.
- The doctor will visit you at home tomorrow.
- A terrible thought visited her in the night.
American English
- Let's visit with the neighbours this afternoon.
- I visited the Grand Canyon last summer.
- Misfortune visited the small town.
adjective
British English
- The visiting team won the match.
- Visiting hours at the hospital are 2pm to 8pm.
American English
- The visiting professor from Oxford gave a lecture.
- Check the visiting nurse schedule.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I visit my grandma every Sunday.
- They want to visit London.
- The teacher had a visit from the headmaster.
- We're planning to visit the Louvre while we're in Paris.
- He received a surprise visit from an old friend.
- The software logs every visit to the webpage.
- The delegation will pay a formal visit to the minister next week.
- A wave of nostalgia visited her as she looked through the album.
- The consultant makes weekly site visits to monitor progress.
- The novel explores the existential dread that visits the protagonist in his solitude.
- The audit team's unannounced visit revealed several compliance issues.
- The region was visited by a series of catastrophic storms.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
VISIT: Visualise Inviting Someone In Temporarily.
Conceptual Metaphor
ATTENTION IS A VISITOR ('Sadness visited her'); INSPECTION/EXPERIENCE IS A PHYSICAL PRESENCE ('The website had many visits').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'to attend' (посещать лекции). 'Visit' implies going *to* a place/person, not just being present. Avoid directly translating 'навестить' as 'to visit on' – use simply 'to visit'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I visited *to* my friend.' Correct: 'I visited my friend.'
- Incorrect (overly formal): 'The inspector visited *upon* the factory.' Correct: 'The inspector visited the factory.'
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'visit' used in its formal, metaphorical sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's extended to abstract concepts ('visit a website', 'a thought visited me') and in formal contexts to mean 'befall' ('disaster visited the city').
'Attend' means to be present at an event (lecture, meeting). 'Visit' implies going to a location or person, often with an element of movement and temporary stay.
Yes, but it's primarily American English, meaning to spend time chatting socially with someone (e.g., 'I visited with my neighbours'). In British English, it's less common and might be misunderstood.
Yes, as an intransitive verb: 'Come and visit sometime!' or 'The inspector is here to visit.' The object is implied by context.