sight
Americannoun
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sights
plural
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the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
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an act, fact, or instance of seeing.
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one's range of vision on some specific occasion.
Land is in sight.
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mental perception or regard; judgment.
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something seen or worth seeing; spectacle.
the sights of London.
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Informal. something unusual, surprising, shocking, or distressing.
They were a sight after the fight.
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Commerce.
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presentation of a bill of exchange.
a draft payable at two months after sight.
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a showing of goods, especially gems, held periodically for wholesalers.
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Older Use. a great deal.
It's a sight better to work than to starve.
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an observation taken with a surveying, navigating, or other instrument to ascertain an exact position or direction.
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any of various mechanical or optical viewing devices, as on a firearm or surveying instrument, for aiding the eye in aiming.
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Obsolete. skill; insight.
verb (used with object)
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sights,
present (3rd person singular)
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sighted,
past participle, past
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sighting
present participle
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to see, glimpse, notice, or observe.
to sight a ship to the north.
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to take a sight or observation of (a stake, coastline, etc.), especially with surveying or navigating instruments.
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to direct or aim by a sight or sights, as a firearm.
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to provide with sights or adjust the sights of, as a gun.
verb (used without object)
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sights,
present (3rd person singular)
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sighted,
past participle, past
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sighting
present participle
-
to aim or observe through a sight.
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to look carefully in a certain direction.
idioms
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on / upon sight, immediately upon seeing.
to shoot him on sight;
to recognize someone on sight.
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not by a long sight, definitely not.
Is that all? Not by a long sight.
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at first sight, at the first glimpse; at once.
It was love at first sight.
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in plain sight. see in plain sight.
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sight for sore eyes, someone or something whose appearance on the scene is cause for relief or gladness.
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sight unseen, without previous examination.
to buy something sight unseen.
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catch sight of, to get a glimpse of; espy.
We caught sight of the lake below.
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know by sight, to recognize (a person or thing) seen previously.
I know him by sight, but I know nothing about him.
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at sight,
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immediately upon seeing, especially without referring elsewhere for assurance, further information, etc..
to translate something at sight.
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Commerce. on presentation.
a draft payable at sight.
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out of sight,
noun
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the power or faculty of seeing; perception by the eyes; vision
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the act or an instance of seeing
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the range of vision
within sight of land
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range of mental vision; point of view; judgment
in his sight she could do nothing wrong
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a glimpse or view (esp in the phrases catch sight of, lose sight of )
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anything that is seen
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(often plural) anything worth seeing; spectacle
the sights of London
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informal anything unpleasant or undesirable to see
his room was a sight!
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any of various devices or instruments used to assist the eye in making alignments or directional observations, esp such a device used in aiming a gun
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an observation or alignment made with such a device
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an opportunity for observation
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obsolete insight or skill
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informal a great deal
she's a sight too good for him
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a person or thing that one is pleased or relieved to see
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as soon as seen
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on presentation
a bill payable at sight
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to be familiar with the appearance of without having personal acquaintance
I know Mr Brown by sight but we have never spoken
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informal on no account; not at all
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slang not visible
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extreme or very unusual
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( as interj. )
that's marvellous!
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to have (a specified goal) in mind; aim for
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without having seen the object at issue
to buy a car sight unseen
verb
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(tr) to see, view, or glimpse
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(tr)
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to furnish with a sight or sights
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to adjust the sight of
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to aim (a firearm) using the sight
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sightsimple
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sightssimple
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have sightedperfect
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has sightedperfect
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am sightingprogressive
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are sightingprogressive
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is sightingprogressive
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have been sightingperfect progressive
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has been sightingperfect progressive
Past
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sightedsimple
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had sightedperfect
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was sightingprogressive
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were sightingprogressive
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had been sightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sight
First recorded before 950; Middle English (noun); Old English sihth (more often gesihth, gesiht; cognate with German Gesicht face; cf. y-), derivative of sēon “to see 1 ”; see -th 1
Explanation
Your sight is your ability to see. If you're maneuvering through the house at midnight using your shins to locate the furniture, you'll appreciate your sight that much more. You could also turn a light on. Sight has many different senses. It can mean the range of your vision, as in when you freak out when your little puppy goes out of sight. You can "take in the sights," meaning you're seeing all the special attractions of a town (also known as sightseeing). Sight can also be a verb, as when you sight a celebrity at your local taco stand, or when you sight your target using the sight on your gun, before you shoot.
Vocabulary lists containing sight
Some Tricky Homonyms
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But with no end to the war in sight as it approaches the end of its eighth month, energy prices are set to remain high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Copper's biggest clients are worried that Chile "does not have a significant production-increase pipeline in sight," said Guajardo.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The project's height would interrupt the sight lines between the Lincoln Memorial, one of Washington's iconic landmarks, and Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for hundreds of thousands of American servicemembers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
It is the sight no-one has seen for a generation.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
But he was already way ahead of us, and Marlene was by now no more than a shadowy shape moving through the trees, and then I lost sight of her altogether.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
They had Graham, Clyburn and Wilson in their sights.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
After setting their sights on a history-making three-peat, the Dodgers will have to win the next four games just to advance to the World Series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
After having its hopes dashed for a more ambitious deal last year in Brazil, the European Union is setting its sights low for next month's COP31.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
The sights and sounds of the fall term at Deltona High School are familiar, with one hidden exception: the high-speed attack drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Shush,” I said, as we entered the church doors and took in the sights and the sounds of our local parish.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Sea turtles have been sighted laying eggs on the sand in Huntington Beach — the first known instance of a sea turtle of any species spontaneously nesting on the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The watchdog said on Saturday that "at this early stage, we understand Cleveland Police sighted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began."
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The Pakistani navy published an alert Friday warning that a mine had been sighted in the strait off Oman.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
And basically, they integrated sighted children so they could be part of the community and help out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
The man’s probing eyes searched me bottom to top, and I detected disgust as he sighted my scar.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
"I would stare at her for hours because I was so enamoured by her," a woman said after sighting the shark on her third attempt.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
On Sunday, Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco flew over the affected areas, sighting hundreds of fires in the middle of the protected forest.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Three days later, lifeguards received reports of another sea turtle sighting just south of the Huntington Beach Pier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Officers said further inquiries identified a sighting of her at Manchester Piccadilly bus station at 10:36 BST on 14 September.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Yeah, because, clearly, we’d be able to stroll up and lodge a sighting report.”
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
