visit

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To go to see a person or place and spend some time there.

   Grammar: Takes an object with no preposition: visit a friend, not visit to a friend.

   Patterns

   • visit someone
   • visit somewhere

   We visit my grandmother every Sunday.

   They plan to visit Japan next spring.

   Tourists often visit the old castle.

2. 2verbintransitiveAmerican

   To stay somewhere for a short time as a guest, or to chat with someone.

   Grammar: No object; often with with in American English: visit with a neighbor.

   Patterns

   • visit with someone
   • visit for a while

   She stopped to visit with her neighbor after church.

   We visited on the porch for an hour.

   He likes to visit with old friends over coffee.

3. 3verbtransitivecomputing

   To open a website or look at a web page.

   Grammar: Takes an object: visit a site.

   Patterns

   • visit a website
   • visit a page

   Millions of people visit this site every day.

   You can visit our online shop for more details.

   I visited the page but could not find the form.

4. 4nouncountable

   A time when you go to see a person or place, or a short stay.

   Grammar: Countable: a visit, short visits; usually pay a visit or on a visit.

   Patterns

   • a visit to somewhere
   • a visit from someone
   • on a visit

   Her visit to the museum lasted three hours.

   We had a surprise visit from my cousin.

   The doctor's visit was quick and painless.

Word forms

Common combinations

pay a visit

I will pay a visit to my aunt this weekend.

visit a website

Visit our website for the opening times.

flying visit

He made a flying visit to see the new house.

visit the dentist

I have to visit the dentist next Tuesday.

return visit

The inspectors made a return visit a month later.

state visit

The president arrived for a state visit.

Synonyms and how they differ

call on

Call on is a bit old-fashioned and suggests a brief formal visit to a person, whereas visit also works for places.

drop by

Drop by is informal and suggests a short, unplanned visit, which visit does not imply.

tour

Tour means to travel around a place to see several parts of it, where visit just means going there.

stay

Stay stresses remaining overnight or longer, whereas visit may be only a short stop.

Opposites

Word family

visitor noun

a person who visits a place or person

visiting adjective

coming to a place as a guest, as in a visiting team

visitation noun

an official visit or the right to see someone

visitable adjective

worth or able to be visited

Commonly confused: visit or visit to?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “visit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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