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• An AIE active anthracene-based Schiff base probe ' AP' is firstly reported as Cu2+ sensor. • AP has negligible interfering effect on Cu2+ detection with nanomolar LOD. • AP - AP * in AIE and AP − Cu2+ − AP * excimer formation is established from UV/PL, DFT and 1H NMR titration debriefings. • Crystalline and nanostructural features of AIE and sensors are authorized by PXRD, SEM, TEM and DLS studies. • Proposed method is validated by cellular imaging and real water recovery interrogations. An aggregation induced emission (AIE) active anthracene-based Schiff base probe "(2-((anthracen-9-ylmethylene) amino) phenol); AP " was synthesized via one-pot reaction and utilized in "turn-on" detection of Cu2+ ions. Ultraviolet–visible and photoluminescence (UV–vis/PL) interrogations confirm the AIE between 0 and 99 % water fraction (f w) and high selectivity of AP to Cu2+. PL studies establish the linear regression of Cu2+ between 0 and 24 µM with a detection limit (LOD) of 53.2 nM. The Job plot and high-resolution mass (HR-mass) data affirm 2:1 stoichiometry and the association constant (K a) value appraised as 1.88 × 10−4 M−2. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) studies reveal decay kinetics of AIE, Cu2+ sensors and complex's reversibility. Moreover, 1H NMR titration and density functional theory (DFT) investigations identify the binding mode, π-π stacking in AIE, AP − Cu2+ − AP * excimer formation, band gap variations and involvement of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and chelation enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) mechanism. Crystallinity and nanostructural variations of AIE and Cu2+ sensors are investigated by using powder-X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). AIE and Cu2+ sensory method are validated by MDA-MB-231 cellular imaging studies. Finally, real water-based titrations show nanomolar LODs and recoveries > 97 % with RSDs < 3.5 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]