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Glite Dictionary
to see one's way clear

to see one's way clear

3 8.0
Decide you can do something after problems are solved
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ver claro
  • I honestly can't see my way clear to it right now.
  • hope you can see your way clear
  • think you could see your way clear
  • see your way clear to letting

Examples

  • I mean, if you can see your way clear, you know...

    Ladybugs (1992)

  • My point is... maybe you could see your way clear to giving us a discount here.

    Vengeance: A Love Story (2017)

  • Sir, could you possibly see your way clear to give us a break?

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

  • If she can't see her way clear, don't worry about it.

    This Could Be the Night (1957)

  • Perhaps you could see your way clear to sponsoring one of the children's teams.

    The Pawnbroker (1965)

  • I think as time goes on you'll, you'll see your way clear to doing business with me.

    Another Thin Man (1939)

  • If you can't see your way clear right now, will you take it under advisement?

    Fiction book (1994)

  • After considering our proposal, I hope you can see your way clear to approve the project.

  • Once she reflected on her options, she finally saw her way clear to applying for the promotion.

  • After discussing the challenges, he was able to see his way clear to moving forward with the plan.

Antonyms

to hesitate
318 2.5

To pause before saying or doing something because you feel unsure

How Possible

to go ahead
∞ 2.3
to see one's way clear
  • Informal
3 8.0
to consider
∞ 1.1
to hesitate
318 2.5

Surface Forms

see one's way clear infinitive
seeing one's way clear present participle
sees one's way clear third person singular
saw one's way clear past
seen one's way clear past participle

Morphology

see + one's + way + clear

The meaning is largely built from the constituents: 'see' (perceive/understand) + 'way' (method/path) + 'clear' (unobstructed), so a learner can infer that one perceives a clear path to act. However, the expression is a slightly conventionalized metaphor (the fixed phrasing 'see one's way clear to do something') and may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

See one's way clear paints a simple picture: when you can see a way that is clear, nothing is blocking your path so you can go ahead. That's why it means 'to find it possible to do something' after doubts or problems are removed.